Bukayo Saka has today released a statement which, in part, calls on social media platforms to do more to combat the racist abuse he and England teammates were subjected to following the final of Euro 2020.
The 19 year old missed a penalty for England in a game of football, but this was apparently sufficient for racists to bombard him with abusive messages and emojis.
There has, however, been overwhelming support and love for Saka and his colleagues Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho which is, of course, how it should be.
That three young men have had to release statements like this over the last week is a genuine shame, but their strength and determination in the face of such abuse is inspiring.
We reproduce the entirety of his message here, and you can also read it via his Twitter.
— Bukayo Saka (@BukayoSaka87) July 15, 2021
Love Saka. F*ck racists.
Bukayo Saka statement
I have stayed away from social media for a few days to spend time with my family and reflect on the last few weeks. This message won’t do it justice how grateful I am for all the love that I have received, and I feel that I need to thank everyone who has supported me.
It was an honour to be part of an England squad that leads by example, they are brothers for life and I’m grateful for everything that I have learnt from every one of the players and staff who worked so hard. To help that team reach our first final in 55 years, seeing my family in the crowd, knowing what they’ve given up to help me get there, that meant everything to me.
There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was with the result and my penalty. I really believed we would win this for you. I’m sorry that we couldn’t bring it home for you this year, but I promise you that we will give everything we’ve got to make sure this generation knows how it feels to win.
My reaction post match said it all, I was hurting so much and I felt like I’d let you all and my England family down, but I can promise you this.. I will not let that moment or the negativity that I’ve received this week break me.
For those who have campaigned on my behalf and sent me heartfelt letters, wished me and my family well – I’m so thankful. This is what football should be about. Passion, people of all races, genders, religions and backgrounds coming together with one shared joy of the rollercoaster of football.
To the social media platforms Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received this week. I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages.
There is no place for racism or hate of any kind in football or in any area of society and to the majority of people coming together to call out the people sending these messages, by taking action and reporting these comments to the police and by driving out the hate by being kind to one another, we will win.
Love always wins.
Bukayo Saka
What.A.Dude.How can you not love this guy?❤
And well said Bukayo.Agree with every word.
Seriously, this guy is an absolute hero. What a statement from an outstanding human being. Rashford too has done so much for British society; he almost singled handedly saved a meal a day for school kids in need. These are true leaders. Not some scruffy PM mug that comes out standing on the morale high ground for the despicable problem of racism that he has been subtly stoking the fires of for years. Rest assured this problem is not confined to England and needs smashing everywhere. We need leaders like these young men, not the inept decrepit donkeys that run… Read more »
Couldn’t agree more.
If we had leaders with half the principles, maturity & compassion that both Saka & Rashford have shown I doubt we would even be having this conversation.
Really need to get past this idea that politicians, particularly at the top, need to be experienced. Experience in politics just shapes politicians into the normalised pond scum they all end up being. Politics is so so desperately in need of freshness and change and youth and diversity. Old white “experienced” male politicians have failed us. Kinda like Arsenal relying on “experienced” players to get us out of the shit we’re in even though it’s those guys that are responsible for getting into those problems.
Love to you my bro ❤️. Recharge your batteries and we look forward to you back in the Arsenal colours.
The racists are the ultimate losers.
Shame on them all.
Time for these big tech companies to do more to stamp out this malaise from our society.
Incredibly impressive young man with a massive future ahead of him. We’re with you all the way Bukayo!
Awesome guy! A true testament of a champion’s character
It’s great to have someone on the team who you can get 100% behind this way, someone who’s not just a word-class talent, but also a world-class dude.
What an absolute gent. Honestly, at 19 he displays such maturity and class.
What a talent we have. Both on the field and all-round great human off it too. Our Unicorn Riding Star Boy!
Also, not to split hairs but his penalty was saved by the player of the tournament rather than ‘missed’ as the article suggests!
Yeah, I thought it was a pretty well placed kick (maybe not enough pace, but who am I to complain?) and Donnaruma got it right. Not like he skied it over the bar or anything.
Wow!
Bukayo you’re a class act young man and so many of us are incredibly proud of you ! Not just as a player but as the kind of person we should all strive to be ! You’re a beacon in a sea of ignorance! Never change !
I fucking love this guy.
We love you Bukayo. 👏
Maybe the heading would have been better, than the usual racism callouts. Lets be honest, u would wish most of us were more of Bukayo Saka niceness
I am grateful for this young man and how he has handled everything in the last few days. This line:” I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive.” It’s sad when that is the first thing that comes to mind whenever you want to do anything or take responsibility. As a person of color, you are not allowed to make a mistake that an average person will make. We also have leaders that promote this evil. Fellow white Brothers and Sisters, we need your help to fight and overcome this evil. No one should live… Read more »
Saka, Sancho, Rashford and Southgate display the moral principles, coherence and leadership qualities so catastrophically lacking from our buffoon of a PM and poisonous Home Secretary.
This lad has done himself his family and his country proud. The fact he is an Arsenal player has done us gunners proud the way he has conducted himself throughout the season and tournament has been a breath of fresh air and here’s looking forward to see him in his arsenal kit again soon 😊
There is only one race. The human race. We’re a varied bunch. That’s what makes us strong. Perhaps if we strive to avoid putting people in boxes. Stop using color, sexual preference, and all those other things, as a prefix to describe people.We’re people. All of us. I don’t need to know if you’re asian, gay, left handed, or anything else. It makes no difference to our interaction. We’re people. All of us. And we basically wantthe same thing. To love and be loved. To live in peace. To see our children grow and prosper as human beings. If you… Read more »
What about NASCAR?!
Doesnt involve motorcycles. Not a race. Sorry left-turny-rednecks 😉
Awesome. You’re a gem, Saka.
Blessings 👊🙏
Bakayo shows such an impressive maturity that belies his years and you can see that this wasn’t some PR guff, this was him and he speaks with great gravitas and sincerity, he really is a young man of stature and we are so lucky to have him at our football club and I shall relish watching him for as long as we have him – hopefully forever.
The utmost respect to you young man…
True Class Bukayo, true class.
That is a perfect statement. Well done Bukayo! All gooners are so proud of you. Can’t wait to see what you achieve this season and in the coming years. It’s gonna be brilliant.
This guy. He makes me proud to be an Arsenal fan and gives some hope for humanity. The BS he (and Rashford and Sancho) have to deal with because of a bunch of idiot racists is outrageous. Social media companies need to stop paying lip service and actually do something about stuff like this. I know people that have been banned from Facebook for posting pictures of artwork that has nudity. Yet apparently you can post racist trash without any fear of reprisal.
This coupled with your blog – Bukayo Saka:Hero, is the stuff of legends.
https://emojis.wiki/unicorn/