Mercedes condemns racist abuse after England Euros defeat

Sam Hall
Monday 12 July 2021 11:46

Mercedes declared racism 'has no place in society' after English national team players were subjected to racist abuse following the Euro 2020 final.

The England football team played its first major final since winning the World Cup in 1966 on Sunday evening and held eventual winners Italy to a 1-1 draw before the game and tournament were decided on penalties.

Substitutes Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were three of England's five penalty takers and all three failed to hit the back of the net. The trio have all since reported receiving racist abuse online prompting Mercedes to issue its backing to those concerned.

"We stand with the FA and England. Racism and discrimination have no place in sport or our society," said Mercedes via social media.

"Over the past year we have seen the power of sport as a force for good and we will continue to work to build a more diverse and inclusive sport in the future."

We stand with the @FA and @England. Racism and discrimination have no place in sport or our society.

Over the past year we have the seen the power of sport as a force for good and we will continue to work to build a more diverse and inclusive sport in the future. https://t.co/JlsWsLteJP

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 12, 2021

The abuse has also been condemned by the UK government and figures within football.

Ferrari revels in Italian success

In the buildup to Sunday's game, there was a fair amount of banter between the UK-based teams and the two Italian outfits, Ferrari and AlphaTauri.

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes shared a video of personnel adorning the Ferrari trucks with England logos with the caption 'It's coming home.'.

Perhaps responding to Mercedes' earlier jibe, the team posted a simple message after the full-time whistle blew.

The tweet read: "It’s coming to Rome, actually, it just arrived!"

It’s coming to Rome, actually, it just arrived! 🇮🇹 ⚽️ 🏆#Euro2020 @MercedesAMGF1

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 11, 2021

Campioni d’Europa! Bravi Azzurri!!!

🇮🇹 ⚽️ 🏆#Euro2020 @EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/gjqfoZTPz9

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 11, 2021