England’s players have been assured by police that they will crackdown on anyone who racially abuses them at European Championship.
A delegation headed to St George’s Park to deliver a presentation to Gareth Southgate and his stars after three were targeted online following the penalty shootout defeat in the final three years ago.
Officers made the players aware of measures they could take to block those who see fit to send toxic abuse on social media – and advised of steps they could take to issue complaints.
Officials say the meeting went well and have warned that improved relationships and evidence-sharing with the likes of X should result in a spike in the number of arrests of needed.
At the Covid-delayed Euros three years ago, England stars Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were targeted by vile trolls after they missed penalties in the Wembley final defeat to Italy. This time, specialist teams will monitor online behaviour throughout the tournament.
England’s players have been assured by police that they will crackdown on anyone who racially abuses them at the European Championship
A delegation headed to St George’s Park to deliver a presentation to Gareth Southgate and his players
Bukayo Saka was amongst the England players targeted with disgusting online racial abuse after England’s European Championship final defeat against Italy three years ago
Meanwhile, any of the expected 500,000 UK-based fans who head to Germany and misbehave could be frogmarched to a cashpoint and ordered to pay unlimited fines, while the biggest deployment of UK officers in recent times will back up local forces.
England have been allocated 10,000 tickets for each game, which have been quickly snapped up. Around 5,000 more fans are expected to have bought tickets via UEFA with others going through unofficial channels.
England’s opening match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen has been highlighted as a potential issue, with a lack of facilities in the city and the fan park a considerable distance away. However, there is a confidence that those without tickets will be unable to get close to the stadiums thanks to the various checkpoints in place.
Police will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to expedite banning orders for troublemakers, while spotters will monitor activity among England’s following.
Speaking at a pre-tournament briefing at the Foreign Office, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit, said: ‘We were conscious after the Euros that there was horrific abuse of some of our black players.
‘We investigated and prosecuted some people. We were very keen to speak to the squad and make them sure we are committed and treat it really seriously. We advised them how they can protect themselves but equally how they can deal with it in advance (using filters). We explained what we could do, including reporting mechanisms.’
Mr Roberts added that offenders have to be dealt with in six months and that previously social media firms had taken longer than that to provide relevant data. ‘Now that can be turned around in days. If people think they can hide behind the keyboard and engage in hate crime we will pursue, we will prosecute.’
Steve Lewis, the FA’s head of security, delivered the talk. ‘The players listened intently,’ he added. ‘It was a really good presentation.’
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit criticised social media platforms have previously taken too long to provide relevant data
Jadon Sancho (middle) and Marcus Rashford (right) were also targeted with racial abuse after being beaten by Italy
An operation between the police and social media companies will be launched when the Euros kick off next month.
Roberts was asked if, with this being the first tournament accessible to younger supporters, a new generation of hooligans could cause issues despite the 2,000 banning orders that have been issued. ‘I think we are talking more Inbetweeners than Green Street,’ he responded.
Last week, known far-right activist Tommy Robinson controversially had his four-year banning order lifted – meaning he would be free to attend the tournament.
‘We’re just going to have to live with that,’ added Roberts, who opposed the move along with the CPS. ‘We are not naive.German officers present at the briefing added that they would take a zero tolerance approach to anyone found to be acting offensively, including references to the war such as Nazi salutes.
