It’s almost as if Prince William didn’t solve racism in football after all

Italy - England

In the end, football did not come home. England lost the Euro final to Italy in penalty shootout, 2-3. Three young men on the English team, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, missed their penalty kicks. And as soon as England lost, the racist abuse against those three young Black men began. People were trying to tell racists to settle down – even Piers Morgan told people not to abuse Saka, Sancho and Rashford – but it’s still happening.

The president of the Football Association, Prince William, was there at the final with his wife and eldest son. There were lots of reaction shots and joy as England scored an early goal, but the mood in England’s VIP box turned morose by the end of the night. The FA also made a formal statement condemning the racist abuse against English players, showing that perhaps William did not even solve racism in football when he claimed he did. William has also used the Kensington Royal Twitter to tell racists to settle down. It’s almost as if England is very much a racist country??

The Duchess of Cambridge changed out of her pink frock (which she wore at the Wimbledon men’s final earlier in the day) and into this more business-casual look. Black trousers, a white tee, white blazer and giant red beaded earrings from Blaiz. White and red, get it? She’s the flag of England. Buttons loves to theme-dress and cosplay.

Some social media (there’s a lot):

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.

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225 Responses to “It’s almost as if Prince William didn’t solve racism in football after all”

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  1. OSTONE says:

    I can’t believe Southgate and the senior players let the young men — some of them subs that were JUST coming in- take those penalties. Some of them had never taken a professional penalty before! The writing was on the wall with that one. I think Italy was the better team either way.

    The abuse they are getting online is trash. It will not cease until the social media companies step in unfortunately. It is racist and it is disgusting.

    Also I can’t believe I am defending Kate but it is a soccer game where your country is in the final and the host FFS. Everyone was dressed with the flag’s colors.. not just her. Pointless criticism IMO.

    • Sofia says:

      A penalty shootout is nerve racking on its own let alone in a final. Rashford, Sancho and Saka should be very very proud of themselves. But I agree. Southgate and Kane should have picked 3 other men.

      • GraceB says:

        I really don’t know that they did make a bad choice in sending them on. We’d be saying something else entirely if they’d scored. In the end, it felt like the pressure was just too much and I hate penalties because even more than in the rest of the game it seems to be about nerves and chance.

        In the end, Italy did hold their nerve at the right moment and won but I don’t agree that they were the better team. I know I’m bias because I support the England team all the way, and many will say it’s just Italy’s tactics but they did play dirty and they were allowed to get away with it.

    • Hazel says:

      Yes, two of them came on with 2 minutes left. They never had time to warm up and get a ‘feel’ of the ball. I like Southgate, a lot of people say he’s a nice guy but this decision I didn’t understand. He had enough time to make those subs and think about a possible shootout scenario.

      • line says:

        This is the reason why it has always been very difficult to support the England team. Between the supporters who are introduced unevenly in the stadium, the hoots against of the opponent (national anthem), the degradations, the racist insults towards: Rashford, Sancho and Saka as well as the physical violence towards all the black supports and the Italians.

        It’s defeat is only due to Gareth Southgate, Rashford and Sancho both came on in the 120th minute on purpose for the penalty shootout. While these are players who play fast so they could have relieved their team if they had entered much earlier (60 or 70th minute).

        No, they choose to bring in players who have hardly played, who are stars across their country, to tell them to take a penalty with maximum pressure. Especially since they are two young players, Saka at only 19 years old. Normal that are lost.Italy deserves this victory this by far the best team in the Euro.

      • Lily says:

        It’s common practice and beneficial to use at least some un-tired players from the bench with ‘fresh legs’ for the penalty shootout.

        It’s interesting how many spectators believe they would’ve made the exact right choices for England to win, while dismissing Gareth Southgate as someone who knows little about football or his men, despite him getting the team into the finals for the first time in 55 years, lol.

        England’s loss was by a fraction of a hair. But that’s the game. Supporters should be very proud of the team’s accomplishments (but appalled by the tantrum throwing racist behaviour).

      • Oona says:

        @Lily I agree that supporters should be proud. It was a good game and well played by both teams. Silver is nothing to be ashamed of!

    • Krista says:

      @ostone I agree with everything you said.

      Social media- Twitter/insta/Facebook do need to be more firm I think and laws/regulations should be passed. I’m tired of the toxicity of the internet and that it runs unchecked. Also having loved in Italy, I wouldn’t say that they are better when it comes to racism. Racism and hate is a worldwide issue

      Additionally why make a dig at Kate for her clothing choices which is appropriate for the event when it should be highlighted that William spoke out against racism for football players but not Meghan, his sister in law. That would be more significant commentary.

      • Cessily says:

        I agree.. racism and hate speech should be banned from social media with a zero tolerance rule. The accounts that violate this should be banned permanently and turned over to authorities, there is no excuse.
        Hate speech is not free speech…and should never be tolerated.

      • stagaroni says:

        @ Krista, “it should be highlighted that William spoke out against racism for football players but not Meghan, his sister in law. That would be more significant commentary.” William spoke out about the incident because he is the President of the Football Association. He would be required to do so.

    • Wilma says:

      Yeah, called all three of them to miss. In The Netherlands we have a legendary penalty taker (Johan Neeskens) who explained how he managed to miss a very important penalty despite being supremely good at taking them: he was brought in so late in the game that he had not build up the confidence you need to take penalties. His penalty was one of the first things he got to do that game. He said you need to have some successful ball contact under your belt. So it seemed logical the subs would have a hard time last night.

    • lemonylips says:

      I was supporting England and was wearing a white shirt and had a red bracelet. Kate cosplays a lot and I find it funny but I agree, this is not a thing to be critical about.

    • Lily says:

      There’s a reason managers make room for the youngest/newest on the team to take some of the penalty shots – it’s a right of passage that new players, particularly strikers have to face! It’s to force them to deal with the pressure and get over it, win or lose. Having the chance to take a penalty shot for your country is the ultimate white whale and no baby striker can ever truly develop to their full potential until he takes that shot. Those young payers will either sink or swim afterwards. If they swim, especially after missing the shot, they often go on to be the stars on every team they play in. It’s not for naught. It’s a strategy. It’s for the future of the team.

      • Lily says:

        Also, it doesn’t really matter if you are the best and most experienced goal kicker out there, penalty shots are still 50/50, depending on which side the goalie decides to dive in that particular moment.

      • Lemons says:

        Penalty shots are not 50/50. The outcome is hit or miss, but statistically the players themselves may have a much higher or lower average.

        Anyways, this was not the game put that amount of pressure on these players. I’m sure the coaches regret it now because, as usual, they didn’t take into consideration EVERYTHING these players would face. Not just the feeling of failure, but the added derision of their “supporters” and racism. You shouldn’t be asking players to sink or swim after that.

        Two out of those 3 players should have been senior members on the team who had that experience AND who had time to be on the field and get a feel for the ball.

      • Lily says:

        Apologies Lemons, I misspoke. The statistic is on average 60/40.

      • iconoclast59 says:

        Interesting take. In ice hockey it’s exactly the opposite: If a game is tied and goes down to a shootout, the coaches put their best skaters/stick handlers on the ice to take the shots. Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane is one of the best players in the NHL, and his shootout goals are a thing of beauty — look them up on YouTube!

    • Haylie says:

      Her earrings are not fair criticism.

      Her racist abuse of Meghan is though.
      She’s no different than the racist football hooligans.

      Same for her husband.

    • NORHT LONDON IS RED says:

      Southgate’s poor decision-making throughout the tourney caught up with him. Easy tourney until Denmark, and even then they only got through with a soft pen.

      British media is really something. All the loving on Southgate, and then of course when they lose here comes the criticism.

      What Kate wore was fine. Sad to see George in a suit on what is a casual day for most, but I know that’s protocol.

    • Chelsea says:

      I agree with you Lemons. While i know many managers want to put in less tired legs especially this deep into a tournament where fatigue is probably so high, a historic major final like this is not the time to throw young players into the deep end with only a few minutes on the ball when you also know they coule be subject to a huge racist backlaah. I remember thinking when I saw Rushford go up “oh God even though I’m rooting for Italy i hope he makes this because if he doesn’t the abuse will be horrific” and i know there were many others thinking the same thing because we’ve seen the abuse Rashford and Sterling have received over the years. And if we all knew ahead of time what abuse was in store for them there’s no way they didn’t and that is just an extra level of pressure that can’t be quantified. Im sure they will bounce back, especially Rashford who has played some big games with City and already taken a lot of abuse, but it breaks my heart that they are going through this. Especially fot Saka who is just 19.

      • Christine says:

        Thank you so much for this explanation! I grew up in a university town in the midwest, where football is king, but the American kind. I know a lot about rooting for the Sooners, but nothing of the planet-wide “football”.

    • inka says:

      I totally agree.

    • nina says:

      This is not the job of the social media companies. They will be playing wack-a-mole for ever and not even make a dent in the vitriol and racism. This kind of behavior is learnt at home.

      And don’t give PWT an out. This should also be laid squarely at his door. He emboldened these racists by his attacks on Meghan and failing to speak up when she was racially abused in the BM. Instead of doing what he did yesterday, he decided to pile on and use the abuse to his advantage.
      His name is mud. His reputation will never recover from this. As someone said on twitter. Every POC in Britain knew in their soul that Meghan was not lying.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      OSTONE he substituted them in the end because those were his superstars and because they were the ones he wanted to take the penalty shots. He picked his best men. Unfortunately things did not go their way.

    • Kea says:

      I agree with you @grace. Anyone remember the Miss by the great Roberto Baggio in a WC final..? I think it was’94. Or the Colombian who was murdered for missing one? These people are playing with fire

  2. original minny says:

    For the record. This is not a “social media” problem. The patriarchy controls the government, the media, and the very symbol of Britain -the Royal FAMILY- uses racial abuse based on white supremacy to control the masses and maintain power. No more “well meaning” WORDS from the powerful. What will you do? A suggestion for William- take care of home first.

    • Krista says:

      @orignal minny
      I think they are part of the problem though and aren’t working to help solve these toxic mentalities and hate that gets spewed unfiltered.
      I really believe that social media does more harm then good especially when it comes to racism. It allows hate/dangerous ideologies to run unchecked and then gives more power to those spewing it. Someone can post vile fifth all they want and it just gets bumped up in comments and spread more widely. That’s an issue… those making racist comments towards these players should have comments flagged or removed. It’s 2021 and it’s about time social media changed for the better

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Krista, you are right! If these racist assholes don’t have a platform to spew their hatred, it has no where to go!! Shut down ALL hate and racism, period.

        PS. I guess TOB failed at tackling racism in football. No big surprise as he is a very racist family.

      • Mac says:

        Social media isn’t the problem, racism is the problem. It existed before social media and taking it off social media doesn’t solve the problem.

      • Kkat says:

        Of course it doesn’t solve the problem Mac
        But it would solve racism on social media
        Shall we just allow it there so the kids can view it as the norm?

        Quit being ridiculous

      • BlueToile says:

        Mac, yes racism has always existed. However, social media gives racism oxygen to grow and thrive. It tells people it’s okay to let their racist flag fly free and high. We need to quash that crap hard and fast. I think you need to raise your standards.

    • Sunday says:

      Exactly this. Sure, it’s a problem on social media, but Black and brown people were being violently verbally and physically assaulted beginning inside the stadium and extending out into the streets as soon as they lost. It’s absolutely disgusting and I am so sorry to the Black people and people of color who have to live in that toxic, abusive environment.

    • Millennial says:

      I agree this isn’t a social media problem as much as it’s a racism problem. But deflecting the blame means we can blame Twitter and not the people and society who perpetuate white supremacy.

      Not excusing social media, it’s a problem too, of course, but it doesn’t deserve all the blame here.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        We all deserve the blame as we all make up society. Also, there should be stricter laws and fines for outright acts of racism, including acts verbally or physically.

    • Jais says:

      That’s the thing. The world and England watched as William, Kate, and the RF said nothing about the racist online abuse against Meghan. They blew it. Their words carry no weight on this topic and in fact their cruel actions towards Meghan have emboldened the racists in their country.

      • Harper says:

        The Kensington Royal Instagram account was a platform where abuse of their half-black sister-in-law found a safe haven. Also, I noticed in the past few days that Omid Scobie has turned off comments on his Twitter account and is thanking his followers for their support. Does anyone know what is going on there?

      • Nic919 says:

        Omid has been blamed for a deranger having their account shut down on Twitter and so he’s been targeted a lot by trolls recently. Of course the account was shut down because many people reported inappropriate behaviour and Twitter made the decision, but there was some kind of coordinated campaign to attack Omid because of it.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      I agree this is not a social media problem. The Murdoch empire has been blatantly racist and as we all know, downright abusive to those they choose to target, and this has gone unchecked. Bullying is permitted and supported in the print media and tv, and as a result, society. So why blame social media, which in fact gives a voice to those who oppose the racist attacks online and would otherwise not have been heard.

      • GraceB says:

        It very much is a social media problem. We see this with social media in every single corner of the globe. People are vile and are allowed to go unchecked. That’s not saying the British media aren’t racist and fuelling the fire. It’s not even just the British Media. It seems as though any country with free press also has racist press but we can’t underestimate the huge role that social media has to play in all of this, giving racists the opportunity to say exactly what they think and find millions more people who agree with them.

      • Kkat says:

        Exactly GraceB

  3. Chic says:

    Boris and Priti were also shocked that racists were gonna racists even though they racist themselves. Shocks nobody especially this commonwealth member.

    • SarahCS says:

      Oh don’t get me started, Priti ‘we don’t want you poor foreigners, just the filthy rich ones’ Patel can DO ONE.

    • sunny says:

      Legit this. I’m a black Canadian, my dad’s entire side of the family is British. Yesterday our family group chat as soon as the match ended was, “oh shit, let’s brace ourselves for the racism.” Britain is pretty racist and very anti-black and in case anyone ever forgets we have these fun reminders.
      What a tourney for England though. it is a real shame that it ended so ugly with U.K. fans just absolutely acting out of control.

      • Jodie122 says:

        You are confusing UK and English. The Scots and Welsh fans have been very respectful throughout the tournament. England can own their own fans for their behaviour last night and online.

  4. ModeratelyWealthy says:

    Of course William did not solve racism in football, he did not even solve racism in his own family/firm.

    Baby steps, William- baby steps.

    • Seraphina says:

      @ModeratelyWealthy – this is true but it’s easier to point the finger at something you have no control of and asked for it to be fixed than to focus on your house (which you do have control over). Wills is all PR.

      • ModeratelyWealthy says:

        William is almost 40. At this point, people ( his family) have already accepted he can do the bare minimum, and badly at that. Expect any of his “initiatives” (heads together, earthshot) to have tangible impact is like waiting for Santa.

        So yes, agree he is all about PR. However, in this case, I must admit that doing the bare minimum- posting on social media- is already something. Online harassment is a real problem, especially for minorities, and everytime someone says something against it, it is a good thing IMO.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Yeah- he shouldn’t throw stones in glass palaces!

    • Haylie says:

      William is not going to solve the racism he bathes in and that keeps him in wealth and power.

      He’s the bad apple that spoils the bunch.

  5. Noki says:

    I was not rooting for Italy but I am not sad England lost. For one they have the most vile football hooligans in the world,they can never lose in a graceful manner and two Prince William,Boris and Priti Patel are shameless in the way they brush aside racism and they dont deserve to see any winning cups until they take this seriously.

    • ArtHistorian says:

      The general behaviour of the English fans have been absolutely disgraceful during this tournament. The racism, the booing of the opposing teams’ anthem (disrespectful), trying to blind the opposing team’s goalie wit laserlights, harassing fans of the other countries, which in some instances included spitting on children – in the age of COVID! England deserved to loose – not because of the quality of their team but because of the low low quality of the supporters. I personally know a lot of people who rooted for Italy BECAUSE of how horribly the English fans behave. It wasn’t so much about Italy as actively rooting against England.

      • josephine says:

        I rooted for Italy BUT you should know that Italian fans are super racist as well and have been known to hurl racist insults at their OWN players, especially in league play. It’s absolutely horrible to play in Italy in you are a person of color. England and Italy are run by racists, so it’s not surprising at all. And I have no doubt that the same level of racism would be seen in the US. American athletes suffer attacks from bigots all the time. When political leaders mainstream and even encourage racism and ethic-based attacks, it’s not surpising when it happens.

      • GraceB says:

        This is a very loud minority. It doesn’t make it right but they give the majority who do not behave in this way a bad name and always have done.

        @Josephine – I don’t think it’s just Italy either. I can’t think of a European country which doesn’t behave in this way. The only difference is that people aren’t always aware of it because of the language barrier. Having lived in France for some time, I found the level of racism and xenophobia there makes the UK look tame.

      • BritDebbie says:

        @ ArtHistorian there have been reports coming through that there was minimal security at the stadium. No passports were checked with tickets, no bags were checked to make sure there was nothing bad being sneaked in and no proof required to show that you had been tested for covid.

        Thugs broke into visiting fans seating and abused people who had actually brought a ticket to support their team. It’s like stadium security forgot what thugs some of the so-called english supporters can be as there has been a year without large crowds at matches. Its pure luck that nobody was killed. They completely lost control of some of the crowd.

    • Angie says:

      I saw a post somewhere that said domestic violence in England increases by like 20-30% when England wins a match and it increases by 40-50% when they lose. So, yes, the hooligans are vile people. [I can’t remember the #s off the top of my head but it was a large percentage].

  6. Lauren says:

    Oh so you mean to tell me that declaring that you are bored of racism in football does nothing? Who would have thought. I’ll hand him this though: I thought that it would take him longer to get that bare minimum statement out.

  7. Red Snapper says:

    I couldn’t find any pics of them sitting, so I can’t tell if Kate was made to sit two feet away (again). But why do Kate and Will wear masks in the car?

    • Becks1 says:

      She is sitting away from him again (There’s a pic in this post) but it seems this time that george is with her.

    • (TheOG) Jan90067 says:

      Doesn’t make sense, does it? Even if they live separately, they are both vaxxed, as their driver would be, so it’d be “safe” to all be UNmasked in the same car.

  8. Aidevee says:

    There is so much love and pride in England today, though, and it feels like people are really sitting up and calling these idiots out – I really hope they are found, named and shamed. This team has been like a beacon of hope for so many of us who live in Britain today and who are just despairing over how nasty things have been recently with brexit and covid. They are inspiring so many kids and I really believe that, although England didn’t win last night, we’ve kindled something much more precious – a generation of players who are inspiring a whole generation with their compassion, courage and steadfast belief in the pursuit of social justice. Honestly, everyone seems super, super proud of them.

    Last night, we were able to say – there goes Marcus Rashford to take a penalty. He’s the one who helped make sure a million kids were fed during the pandemic. Total heroes.

    • Sofia says:

      I completely agree. This final seemed like the first time in years the country was actually united for something. It did not come home but Southgate and the team should be proud of themselves. They did their country proud.

      I just hope that Rashford, Sancho and Saka know how love they are and that it rises above the hate and racism.

      • BritDebbie says:

        I personally was dreading it. The further along england goes the more wound up a small minority of idiots become and greater the violence afterwards. Everytime. It is so depressingly consistent.

        Growing up in an only slightly lively part of south east london I always paid attention to when the local team or england were playing and made sure I was home before it ended because if they lost it always kicked off. Every flipping time.

        It was even more predictable this time with certain politicians attacking the players for taking the knee to support black lives matter. As a leader of the “kick it out” organisation said “by attacking the players for saying black lives matter, or staying silent whilst others are doing it, you are showing the racist fans that racism is acceptable”.

    • SarahCS says:

      And we should be proud of them. While I had zero interest in the game I really admire what I’ve been reading about the way Southgate has encouraged the whole team to look beyond football and think bigger about themselves, their place in society and more. You already have some amazing role models in the group and he’s harnessed it to create a fantastic team. This is what we need to focus on.

    • Lara says:

      Lmao wow. You Brits sure are something.

    • gilda says:

      There’s love and pride if you’re white* in England. Marcus Rashford didn’t need to take a penalty kick to become a hero, he’s already done that during the pandemic (as you said).

      I know you mean well, but these young Black men aren’t here to educate the masses on the deeply racist footie culture in England. They shouldn’t need to inspire anyone, just be good at the game, like Rooney, Giggs, or Terry. No one tried to humanise them, they were allowed to be problematic and still supported by the entire country. I’m tired of hearing how proud everyone is of them for enduring the abuse and still playing for England, instead of saying how ashamed and sickened we are by the racist violence they have to endure. I fkn can’t.

    • Christine says:

      I agree with you 100%. LA won the World Series and NBA championship in 2020, and it did wonders for everyone’s quarantined spirits, at least in my neighborhood. Everything remotely resembling pride is SUCH a welcome right now, and I hope England can unite and actually do something, though I don’t have any idea what that should be.

  9. Seraphina says:

    First – GREAT ending to the game. Bravo to Italy and their goalie – who showed maturity at the end.
    Second – those red earrings look idiotic on her.
    Third – love the message about Meghan on the Italian flag.

    • Merricat says:

      Yes, the earrings are hideous.

      • SarahCS says:

        This is one event where I am totally on board with people theme dressing and dressing up but this outfit is boring and those earrings are hideous! Snooze.

      • Becks1 says:

        Theme dressing in this kind of context is completely expected IMO and I don’t mind the trousers and blazer but I wish she had added the red in a different way. Those earrings are awful.

      • Seraphina says:

        I would have loved to see facepaint on her ….or maybe George.

      • Nic919 says:

        I also didn’t understand the point of wearing earrings meant to be seen for a splash of red, but then wear the hair down and in the way so they won’t be seen much anyway.

      • Ina says:

        The earrings are jarring. This is Kate not only theme-dressing but trying to be chic, and as usual, falls splat. The earrings may have looked good on someone else, but Kate simply can’t pull it off.

  10. Merricat says:

    Do you think either Kate or William used that opportunity to talk frankly with George about racism in the U.K.? No, I don’t, either.

    • SarahCS says:

      Hahahahahaha NO

    • Seraphina says:

      I think, IMO, that due to the closed off society that they surround themselves in (white aristos) there will never be a serious talk. My husband and I have talked about racism in this country with our kids (we are US). BUT due to the fact that we have friends of different races and ethic backgrounds, my children are able to hear and discuss all sorts of issues with our friends (well, not really discuss more like ask questions). Our friends come to our home and we eat and drink and have fun but we also have serious discussions. Our children listen and that I think it helps in processing and comprehending of the different experiences; especially by my friends who have experienced racism first hand or tell us what their grandparents and parents went through.
      The Cambridge kids will not get that from Wills or Kate. Makes me understand why Diana wanted to expose her boys to things outside the palace walls.

    • Becks1 says:

      Of course not. William tweeted about it Merricat. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM HIM?!!?!?

  11. Erica says:

    Lots of people gear their outfit towards their countries flag, I don’t see the issue with what Kate wore.

    The video of William freaking out made me laugh but George looked adorable.

    No surprise that there was racial abuse. It’s a huge issue worldwide, this doesn’t shock me or surprise me at all. People are a**holes and I’m over it. Any excuse to say some racist BS, right? If they had won it wouldn’t have mattered either, it would have still happened. Makes me sick.

    • Mei says:

      Came here to say the same thing – of all the times to colour code to an event, this was totally fine. Everything in England has been red and white leading up to this and lots of people wore this to support the team so she’s not out of place here. Feels like being picky for no reason. The earrings were hideous, but the rest of the outfit looked great imo.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Pretty sure it’s about the ridiculousness of the earrings, not the red, white, & blue part. I agree with a poster above, facepaint would have been the way to go.

  12. A says:

    Lets be clear the whole of European football/soccer has had an unfortuate long held history of racism that looks like its not going to change anytime soon. But, yea maybe if William had a better relationship with only person of color in his own family, his words would could have more impact!

    • Chrissy (The Original) says:

      Everyone knows he’s the biggest hypocrite regarding racism. I hope the so-called ‘FFK’ gets shamed big time for this hypocrisy.

  13. Amy Bee says:

    The tweet following the game was wonky and wasn’t sent out by him. I figured out why I get a weird vibe when I see William, Kate and George together. George is being raised by his nanny not his parents. And if William thinks that tweeting his outrage against racism is going to have any effect, he is deluded. I’m still waiting for him to condemn the racism against Meghan and Archie some of which can be found on his social media pages.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      So they still allow those comments about M & A to remaIn? Sheesh. Didn’t he tweet some social media boycott regarding racism in the footballers community end of April/beginning of May? Which appeared, at the time, more like not announcing they were taking a mini anniversary vacation. Until he corrects the lies he/Kate/ KP/rotas have put out about Meghan, his words mean nothing.

  14. Sofia says:

    Absolute shame over the racism that the players get. A penalty shootout is hard and honestly unpredictable. Seasoned players can miss let alone 2 20 something year olds and a literal teenager. But yeah. I’m sorry but Piers, William, Boris and Priti are all hypocrites for condemning this but not having a look at their own behaviour. Boris and Priti condemned players taking the knee against racism, William sat in silence when his own family members were abused and Piers stroked a lot of the Meghan hatred. Piers was even bitching about 18 year old Emma at Wimbledon at last week, so forgive me when I don’t see any of them as sincere. Hypocrisy is thy name, Boris, Piers, Priti and William.

    Edit: Someone on Twitter said this and I’m bringing it here because I think it’s important: “If we “whistle” the “dog” and it reacts, we can’t be shocked or angry that it bites and barks back.”

    And I think it’s fine Kate wore red earrings. I just didn’t like them in general but the colour is fine

    • Seaflower says:

      It’s here
      https://twitter.com/SayeedaWarsi/status/1414534994219913221
      @SayeedaWarsi said:
      Priti -we as govt, as @Conservatives
      need to think about our role in feeding this culture in our country
      If we “whistle” & the”dog” reacts we cant be shocked if it barks &bites
      It’s time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division
      Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations

      in response to Priti P saying (with no hint of self awareness):
      I am disgusted that @England players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media.
      It has no place in our country and I back the police to hold those responsible accountable.

      • Becks1 says:

        That’s a really good tweet. I hope people keep calling out these public figures who trade in dog whistle politics and then try to act like they are against racism in situations like this.

  15. Jan says:

    The only reason Piss Moron didn’t attack the black football players is because one of the players plays for the football club he supports.
    LOL, at BoJo and lamebridges talking about racism a bunch of fcuking clowns.
    What a weekend for England, showing the World how the great Empire has fallen.
    The highlights a guy sticking fireworks in bum and lighting them, another naked man jumping up with a penis smaller than a new born, if he is not a grower, his partner have to do a lot of pretending.
    Italian fans rubbing it in with ‘Meghan is one of us’ on the flag.

  16. Cat C says:

    Well, as long as he can give the football team his support against racism… 🙄

  17. Layla says:

    He’s one the worlds biggest hypocrites. And of course he won’t solve racism when he’s a racist himself.

  18. Snuffles says:

    Meghan Markle is trending in the US today because everyone is calling out what a hypocrite William is.

    • Nyro says:

      Good. May he never know peace.

    • taris says:

      “meghan one of us”
      🇮🇹

      made my weekend

    • Lady Digby says:

      I genuinely think W+K bathe in the warmth of fawning UK media and is unaware how damaged their reputation has been by their treatment of Meghan. He thinks if I decree that RF isn’t racist then peasants will lap it all up.

  19. Eurydice says:

    I don’t have a problem with the earrings. They’re a way to have fun without painting flags on her face and the rest of her outfit looked good and low-key.

    As for William, if he weren’t such a hypocrite his statement would have been forceful, but as it is, bleh. I would have added congratulations to the team for getting this far and taking the match down to the wire, but maybe he did that in another message.

  20. Sunday says:

    So once again very much not racist William’s statement simply specifies that *football players* shouldn’t have to endure racist abuse, completely ignoring the very real violence that Black and brown people faced immediately following the loss. It’s not just brutal fans hurling racist jeers at players (which, to be clear is not ok either), it’s the immediate recognition of poc that the simple walk from the stadium to the tube would not be safe for them and the very real verbal and physical assaults that predictably occurred. It’s not (just) a social media problem, it’s not (just) a football problem, it is an England problem.

    All the comments here that are all “it’s not JUST England, all of Europe/football/the world/the galaxy has a racism issue” are really missing the point. If you can’t even take one second to acknowledge the insidious racism that permeates throughout your own country when it’s been exposed on the world stage in real-time, how on earth do you expect it to change? Or do you not really care if your society treats Black people and POC solely for and commensurately to the services and talents they perform to your greater good? How do you still believe you have any moral authority to point the finger at every other country in Europe except yourselves?

    • Harper says:

      TOB’s statements always contain qualifiers as to who does not deserve racism. “Players” are intrinsically good. But the newly married-in half-black duchess is someone to be wary of and must prove herself to earn our support —– oops! Look what she did. Just sent a 5 am email. Put that bloody woman in her place.

      The truth is William has no standing with racists to call them out. His complete and utter lack of any public statement of support for Meghan, allowing his “close friends” to go to the press and denigrate her, and his reported bouts of temper and anger directed at her show all the racists in England that their FFK has the same base racist impulses and acts on them just like they do. Saying “stop it” is just performative and a joke.

      • Sunday says:

        Exactly right on all counts, and what some don’t seem to understand is that the total failure of William and the royal family to even just once condemn the relentless racist abuse that Meghan and Archie were forced to endure is precisely why so many around the world are piling on England and rightly calling out the emptiness and hypocrisy of his statement.

      • swirlmamad says:

        It’s basically William’s “stand back and stand by” moment, ala Trump in the debate with Biden when asked to condemn the Proud Boys/white supremacist groups. Performative BS.

    • Eurydice says:

      Yes, it’s “whataboutism” – deflecting by pointing elsewhere. Right now, this spectacle is happening in England and nobody is asking them to solve racism in Italy.

      • Sunday says:

        100%. Like, call me when Italy re-thrones a royal family then harasses a biracial in-law behind the scenes to the point of suicide while publicly failing to even superficially condemn racism hurled at her in the press including but not limited to an innocent newborn baby being likened to a chimpanzee with virtually zero consequences and then we’ll focus on Italy.

    • TheOriginalMia says:

      Preach! The hypocrisy is strong in all of these statements. Their condemnation holds little weight in the face of their actions and inaction in combating racism outside football season.

  21. Zapp Brannigan says:

    So Piers Morgan only attacks women of colour, does that count as progress or nah?

    • Merricat says:

      Nah.

    • Shirleygail says:

      Hey @ Zapp
      More accurate to say: Piers Morgan attacks women (in the case of Emma, a teenaged woman).
      Periodt
      Caroline Flack comes to mind, Arianna Grande, Lady Gaga, etc.
      Women, Piers Morgan attacks women. Because punching someone smaller than you is truly manly. In England. Apparently.

  22. Digital Unicorn says:

    The team did themselves and the country proud, those young men achieved something great and should hold their heads high – shame that the fans embarrassed themselves, the team and the whole of England with their racist yobbo behaviour. They got blind drunk, trashed their own capital city then broke into their national stadium – they will as always get away with it as they have done for soo long. Yesterday is the reason that the English fans are NOT welcome when the teams (national and at club level) play abroad – they have a long history of doing this. Several hundred ticketless fans literally forced their way into the stadium taking the seats of those who paid a lot of money to legit see the game in person – i feel for those people who had their experience ruined. The FA are only admitting to 100 fans but if you watch the footage and posts from SM it was many more than that – they were blocking exits and overcrowding the concourses. It was a Hillsborough waiting to happen but of course the overwhelmed stewards and police will get blamed for drunk fan behaviour. Yes they lost control at some point but there is no way that they could have anticipated the fans storming the stadium the way they did – Wembley is an event venue not a fortress. Not to mention the footage of groups of grown men attacking other adults and children as they leave Wembley.

    It’s a sad sad day when riot police have to be deployed to make adults behave themselves.

    William, Duke of bored with racism, needs to step up or shut up.

    PS. LOVED the Italian flag with Meghan being named checked LOL.

    PPS. WTAF with Top CEO’s earrings????

    • Layla says:

      Haven’t you heard? Kate has been a huge advocate for Women’s empowerment for years!
      It was funny when there was picture of Kate trying to control her hair. I think some of it got stuck in the earring 😂

  23. ChattyCath says:

    It was a Royal Edict from an Absolute Monarch! I loved the Italian press before the game. Boris Johnson looks like an old man out with his carer!

  24. Over it says:

    The keenbridges look like they are talking again. Piss Morgan is still very much a racist. And so are the keenbridges. None of their tweets won’t change any of that for me

  25. girl_ninja says:

    Piers condemning the racism hurled at those young black players is hypocritical. He targeted Meghan and in that stoked the racist fires we see all around. Until they apologize and want to have a true discussion about their behavior these racists who are (including Will, Kate & Charles) calling out racism should sit the f**k down and shut up.

  26. Maria says:

    I enjoyed the banner saying “Meghan One of Us”.
    Of course, Italy has its own problems with racism, but I still chuckled, especially at the remark trending “It’s not coming home and Harry ain’t either!”

  27. Melly says:

    I am devastated for the young black footballers bearing the brunt of these disgusting attacks. However, I am not surprised. Ioathe football anyway and was glad England lost but can’t feel joy for Italy whose fans are just as bad towards their black players.

    Sorry but as a black woman of 50 born in England I know. It’s always there underneath the surface you are not English or British you will always be another. Same as all the other European countries. I say earn your money to these you guys but always remember to be on your guard with non blacks in England.

  28. OriginalLala says:

    I know Italy has its own issue with racism but the “Meghan one of us” Italian flag was amazing and kind of a great dig at Baldimort and Katie Keen

    • Esme says:

      I’m Italian and I’ve briefly lived and worked in the UK – the English do not consider Italians to be white, in my experience we’re regarded as some kind of exotic monkeys. (Again, from my direct experience, the Scottish are much nicer). Thus some of us Italians who have had a more direct experience of the English superiority complex feel a certain kinship with Meghan, and can identify the racist animus in how she was treated.
      (I know Italy itself has a huge problem with racism – there are pockets of non racist friend groups/families, but the country as a whole is a mess, and we’re sorry about that)

  29. Loretta says:

    I’m so happy that we won. Forza Azzurri!!

    • bamaborn says:

      Congratulations! Was really hoping that despicable island would lose. Kudos to you all.

  30. Cristina says:

    It’s coming Rome! Bye bye England

  31. Cuty says:

    This is what I hate about a match ending with a penalty shoot-off! It’s always boiled down to those being brave enough to take responsibility – but missing the shot. These three boys showed tremendous courage. And this is what they get. So horrible. My heart cries.

    If you analyse the match, England stopped playing football after the first goal. Harry Kane stopped attacking. England stopped hitting the goal. They merely defended and fell asleep. That’s the main issue. It’s really Southgate’s lack of input in the extra time that cost them the title. They stopped playing and lost their moment. Italy became progressively better as the match matured, and they are so good at these penalty moments.

    • Robin says:

      Yes. Exactly. As soon as we won the goal right at the beginning, I said to my partner “we’ll lose”. This happened in the world cup, too. We basically went missing from the second half of the first half onwards. Why Grealish wasn’t put on earlier is also a mystery. I hate penalties. Those brave young men.

  32. Juliette says:

    Italy is the first country to win Eurovision and the UEFA European Championship in the same year. ICONIC

  33. Chaine says:

    Ugh, should we applaud him for his kingliness for putting a statement on social media that basically says no more than, “tut tut, you naughty boys”? If only he had an opportunity fo model for his nation how one should treat others in an anti-racist manner…

  34. vn says:

    I saw someone on twitter say that george has a rich man’s laugh and now that’s all i can see when i watch that little clip. Plus William and Kate both look so awkward celebrating, like they’re playacting at being human idk. So satisfying that Italy won, i was so happy yesterday. There’s nothing wrong dressing with your team’s colors but those earrings looked beyond idiotic and ridiculous imo. As for the racist abuse of the players was anyone expecting anything different, really???

  35. Nyro says:

    So so soooo glad England lost. They were really feeling themselves, jumping on the bandwagon after they’d attacked and booed those safe players for the crime of kneeling and “wokeness”, booing other nations’ anthems, trying to credit those young players’ talent and hard work to that jackass William and his son, attacking Meghan and Harry, etc. They deserved to lose, the universe wouldn’t allow it. William’s smug ass thought he was going yo ride a wave of media support on those boys’ back, basking in their glory until it all became his own. Instead, he’s having to ” address” racism and getting dragged all over social media, along with Boris and Priti Patel, for his performative bullcrap. It’s what he and that whole country deserves.

    Seeing lots of “Meghan was right” from non-squad people. England showed its ass and I hope those guys go where their humanity is respected and never play for that country ever again.

  36. Over it says:

    If Willy tackled racism in football like he tackles rose bushes and his ability to not work, well then racism would be over by next week

  37. Lizzie says:

    George’s face reflected the country. The game went very late in the night for a seven year old. He was probably exhausted on top of disappointed.

  38. Lizzie says:

    George’s face reflected the country. The game went very late in the night for a seven year old. He was probably exhausted on top of disappointed.

  39. taris says:

    the racism we all saw was incredibly jarring and heartbreaking. this sort of thing just doesn’t surprise anymore, but it’s never not disappointing.
    yes, social media companies have a role to play in clamping down on vile trolls. but, make no mistake, people – this is very much a societal/cultural issue. i guarantee you there is even much worse abuse (racism, sexism, etc) that goes on in the streets and in homes that we never see or hear of.
    so, from our politicians to regular citizens to netizens – this is really all our responsibility to resolve.

    btw, those taking kaiser to task for her ‘criticism’ of kate’s regalia: take a breath, please.
    nobody’s ‘criticising’ anybody for wearing red earrings. making light-hearted fun of kate’s cosplay and on-the-nose dressing is a time-honoured celebitchy tradition.
    no harm intended.

  40. Haylie says:

    Will’s and Kate have been engaging in a racist smear campaign against Meghan for years. And after last nights racist display of their countrymen, the first comments on this post are people defending Kate’s earrings.

    Racists really can get away with everything. The bar is in hell.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Right??? Some of you are something else. Good grief.

      • SunRae says:

        Every post about those two it’s some variation of ‘I don’t think we can criticise them on this, ‘she was wearing the same as everyone,’ ‘no need to nitpick on this,’ a whole lot of English being used to make us treat white supremacists who conspired with a racist media to the detriment of a pregnant black woman’s mental health. We’re not talking about normal people here. I can’t believe the nonsense I’m reading up thread.

        People believe they can partake in heinous acts towards poc and just go on and have THEIR humanity acknowledged. They have another thing coming ‘cos the world, the largely POC world is not having it

    • Eurydice says:

      Maybe you should read the first comments because they’re all about the match and racism and not about Kate’s earrings, as are most of the comments here.

      In any case, Kate’s earrings were specifically pointed out in this post, which invites comment.

      • Haylie says:

        Maybe you shouldn’t assume I didn’t read the first comments. I promise you I did. They were full of defenses for a racist woman because her earrings shouldn’t be picked on and they reek of that “let’s focus on the real racism” while doing everything they can to provide cover for a real racist.

        Performative posturing like William while protecting Plantation Mistress Kate is gross.

      • Eurydice says:

        @Haylie – I assumed you hadn’t read the comments because nothing in them absolves Kate from being a racist or tries to cover anything up for her. A day doesn’t go by on this site when the BRF isn’t being called out for racism, and that includes Kate. But today, Kaiser felt her earrings were inappropriate and others didn’t, that’s all.

    • Sofia says:

      To be fair, a lot of the comments on the said comment (including the first one) are actually saying “let’s focus on the racism rather than the earrings because the racism is more important”.

    • swirlmamad says:

      Exactly this. I could give a flying rat’s ass about what Kate wears. Setting aside the fact that she has an abysmal sense of style, she and William are so tainted to me that there isn’t a thing she could wear that I would think looks good. The ugliness inside of those two has extended to the outside — they are the face of the rampant bigotry in the RF.

  41. Serena says:

    So happy Italy won! Granted, we have some pretty awful (and very much racist) football fanatics here too, but what they did in England was disgraceful. Hurled insults at the opposing teams, stepped and spitted on an italian flag (I saw just that but they probably did for every country they were up against), blinded the Dutch players during the match, trashed the street and then going after the black players of their own team, among sone of the things I wished I didn’t see on twt! And I’m glad Uefa is punishing England for some of that! This behavior is just disgusting and criminal.

    Let’s see you deal with all that now, Willy.

    It did come to Rome, alright.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Yesterday happens pretty much every. single. time. England host a football tournament.

      Why are English football fans always so angry? The get angry and fight regardless if the team wins or loses. Figures recently released show that if England loses a football match reports of domestic violence increases by 38% and if they win increases by 22% and thats just based on figures of cases that are reported to the authorities – imagine what the real figure is when you take into consideration those cases that are not reported.

      Football in general has a big problem with racism and violence but England are up there with having some of the worst behaved fans.

      • Serena says:

        I read the statistic and I was appalled. Yeah that is one of the reason why I hate football, cause it shows (and already existing) very ugly side of people.
        I also read some of those hooligans already came prepared with knives, so either they won or lose, they would have fought.

      • Cee says:

        They should probably stop driking.

    • swirlmamad says:

      It’s just so funny (not haha) because the general stereotype is that Brits are so proper and pulled together, yet they seem to have a glaringly serious problem of a certain segment of the population acting like racist thugs — and that behavior being normalized.

      • Sof says:

        Our whole lives we’ve been lectured by tv news anchors about how Latin America has to imitate England as they got rid of hooligans and racism. Lol, what a bunch of hypocrites.

      • Nic919 says:

        Part of the problem is that the elites who run the country might be considered more polite, but are also racist themselves. Leadership comes from the top and as it stands no one in a position of power in the UK can legitimately be credible when it comes to criticizing racism because they have partaken in it themselves very obviously. Johnson has never apologized for his many overtly racist comments and most of his cabinet have tried to score political culture war points criticizing the players for taking a knee.
        And we already know why the Windsors have no credibility on this issue.

      • Greywacke says:

        I’m an American who has traveled to several countries around the world in small tour groups with Canadians, Australians, and continental Europeans, and I have been told several times by my fellow travelers that the British are the worst tourists they have ever encountered/experienced. I’m always shocked to hear that because Americans have such a bad reputation abroad. But the general consensus was/is that the Brits are worse than Americans, specifically the English members of Great Britain.

        I even have my own story of a terrible British tourist. My husband and I were entering the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh (Cambodia is AMAZING by the way), and a young and beautiful scantily clad woman was asked to cover up with a shawl provided to her in order to go in. She had a melt down screaming in a posh English accent “But I am a British citizen!” over and over again, as if that meant she should be able to waltz in anywhere in the world naked if she wanted. She was a total embarrassment to herself.

        And of course, I’m sure the majority of British travelers are just fine, but I had no idea that so many could exceed the American stereotype of “Idiots Abroad.” I thought we cornered that market, LOL!

  42. B says:

    Sad for England. The fans may be toxic, but the team are such lovely young men. I’m glad it ended In a penalty shootout, which essentially a coin toss. It would’ve been a lot worse if they lost 1-7 or something.

  43. TeamAwesome says:

    As a statement earring fan, I hate that I love those earrings. It also brings to mind Meghan’s white shirtdress with red tassel earrings moment.
    Did any of you see the anti-domestic violence campaign images featuring a woman with the red cross from England’s flag in blood over her lips? The caption states that domestic violence incidents increase 38% when England loses. I took a moment to think it was too bad there wasn’t a way for the FFK or FFQ to get involved with *that*, but then I remembered that his press always describes him as incandescent with rage etc. so it would be about the same as not a racist family. What are they good for??

  44. aquarius64 says:

    William and the British press egged on this abuse because of Meghan’s treatment by them. Deal with the fact your reputations are irreparably damaged because of pettiness and jealousy. I like the hashtag itsgoingtorome.

  45. Harper says:

    William and Kate did not even look at each other once when England scored its first goal. Will went incandescent with excitement and grabbed George in a hug. Kate saw the photoshoot opportunity and hugged George next. Will and Kate didn’t even try to make eye contact with each other.

    • Tessa says:

      Not only that, her stans started going on about how she is “just like Diana” when she hugged her children after she was reunited with them after a royal appearance. I think Kate had that in mind also.

  46. BusyLizzy says:

    I lived in the UK for 6 years and was appalled by the rampant racism in the British society. And the classism was even worse!

  47. Margaret says:

    Not only that, taking their medals off was poor sportsmanship. I enjoyed the game, Italy controlled the second half of the game, and the seasoned players, did not volunteer to take the shots. By the way George looked like mini willie after the English score. Kate could have stayed home with her other children, attention seeking much.

    • Lady D says:

      What’s wrong with Kate attending the game? She might enjoy watching soccer.

      • Margaret says:

        @ lady D
        There was nothing wrong with her attending,.but it is what it is, and I am glad Italy won, you get no fight out of me. I am happy with the outcome.

      • Kkat says:

        Kate very obviously does NOT enjoy watching soccer

  48. Naomi says:

    I really hate the public statements W puts out. Always leading with “I” when “we” is much more effective and inclusive. Very kind of school marm or “I am your king and you are disappointing me, peasants” kind of vibe, instead of addressing and naming anti-Black racism (not just “racist abuse”). And he should have specifically named the players to praise them! Anyway, what else would you expect from a politically conservative white male royal who makes jokes with other soccer players about non-white immigrant food delivery people getting frisked?

    But geez, these people refuse to hire decent communications employees! This statement could & should have been better. It could have been meaningful, but instead it’s Future King scolding peasants for being declassé in their racism.

    • Tessa says:

      He should have issued a statement of apology to Meghan and Harry. And he never denied stories of his name calling her. William also should have apologized to that delivery person.

    • Eurydice says:

      “We” just gets into the “royal we.” And I’m not sure about the word “sickened,” either. Yes, racism is sickening, but again it becomes about what racism is doing to him, not what it’s doing to POC. How about “racism is wrong.”

  49. N0B0dy says:

    What? This is such a shocking revelation 😂 I could have sworn saying he was bored of the racism would have fixed everything!

  50. Rapunzel says:

    Seems like the ghost of Brexit caught up with England and fate said, “Win the Euros? Hell naw.”

  51. Tulipworthy says:

    I don’t like the mismatch of the whites between the Tshirt and the jacket.

  52. MMadison says:

    More proof that everything Meghan/Harry said in the Oprah interview is TRUE. The racist Prince and his wife sat back, watched and encourage racism toward Meghan. The did NOTHING. Now the racist Prince is very much against racism…..sure he is. side note: George is Mike Middleton minnieme….

  53. HeyJude says:

    The England fans behavior was so appalling I’m glad they weren’t rewarded with a win. Just yesterday they trashed the cities turning them into giant garbage dumps, they got in fights all over the country and were throwing projectiles at each other and random windows, and then rushed the stadium to break in without tickets causing a stampede that numerous people got injured in.

    Not to mention their behavior before now beating a Danish fan in front of his son, calling an maybe 10-year-old German girl caught crying on TV the c-word for being sad her team lost, to shining a laser pointer in an opposing goalies eyes.

    Now the racist abuse on social media of their own countrymen that gave them a final!

    Yes, I’m glad these “fans” lost. Those people acted like beasts the entire tournament. They did not deserve to win. England needs to check itself.

    (And don’t even get me started on these classless thrones of trashy people also being the ones who slur Meghan Markle either.)

    • Lily says:

      England’s sense of entitlement is appalling. They also refused to accept their loss so they took off their medals immediately after receiving them. On international tv.

      They completely failed to grasp that being in the final is a huge accomplishment and privilege. Their behaviour was disrespectful to the game, to the winning team, and to their colleagues, as players from Italy are their teammates in the European leagues.

      England basically behaved like a petulant (and racist) child who threw a tantrum for winning silver.

  54. Cee says:

    Meghan really did not have a chance in hell. The racism seeping through from GB is astonishing and something I’ve never seen before so visibly. England fans have been horrible during the Euros and that has turned a lot of people against the team, even though the players always showed their rivals respect. Something is really rotten in GB and it’s getting international attention.

    FYI – both teams played poorly. The match was an utter joke but the penalties were even worse. It looked like Italy had practiced, though, and England didn’t, counting on winning within the 90 minutes. And then their managen sends out players with no penalty experience? What was he thinking?

    • HandforthParish says:

      To be fair Italy were stunned by the early goal but by the second half they had taken control of the match.
      Stats showed they had 66% possession- England with 34 was lowest stat in 5 years.

      On balance of the final, and the tournament as a whole it was a deserved win for the Azzuri.

      • Cee says:

        I agree Italy played better but still, overall, the match was boring. By the half of the second half the players were collinding into each other, most of the passes were missed, etc. I know they get tired, especially after the overtime they had to play after both halves.
        Italy had more shots but none, but one, stuck. The English goalie was so angry and annoyed at his own team mates I was sure he would miss half the penalties shot at him.

  55. HandforthParish says:

    English football fans are scary. They have such an angry violent mob mentality, not to be seen in other sports.
    I’ve had years of watching rugby in English pubs and having a war of words during the match and congratulations at the end.
    With football? You run.
    And I’m not talking about crazy fans in stadiums- I’m talking about pubs up and down the country.
    It leaves European fans bemused.
    They don’t understand why you can’t go watch a game without throwing your pint glass at the screen and scream abuse at neutral onlookers.

  56. Sof says:

    What is it about football that makes people behave like this? It’s not just England, it’s a global thing. Whenenver there’s an international competition the “banter” is a free for all to say whatever to the rival country without consequences.
    Argentina beat Brazil (yay!) on the final this Saturday and it was the same. It was reported that there were incidents in Bangladesh as people there apparently support both countries, someone got stabbed!

    Edit to say: remember what happenes whenever France loses?

    • Cee says:

      Did you see Messi lead his team mates in proper behaviour once Brazil lost? It was a beautiful thing to see. The fact Neymar was able to cry but still feel happy for Messi shows that not everything is rotten with our teams.

      Also – as someone who has attended matches, and derbys, in both countries (ARG and ENG) I can honestly say alcohol contributes a great deal. Perhaps english fans should lay off the alcohol everytime their team plays.

      • Sof says:

        Our teams are fine, the problem is outside. I’ve had a soft spot for Neymar after all the criticism he had to face for admitting publicly he was rooting for us in the Worldcup final!

  57. Keri says:

    So someone on Twitter noted that Willie boy left before acknowledging or congratulating the Italian team. Some statesman. It could have been a perfect teachable moment to show grace and sportsmanship to his son. Petulant loser. Even his statement fell short. Hypocritically condemning racism in football, but couldn’t even acknowledge the attacks on Italian fans and British Asians and Black fans. Hell, he could have diffused the situation by publicly congratulating the opposing team and the English players for a good match. The FFK is such a disappointment. Imagine the impact Harry’s words would have had if he was the President of the FA? William will forever be known as the racist hypocritical other brother.

    • Nyro says:

      He and Keen really are trash. Snubbing the Italian president and leaving before the winning team received their trophy is exactly the kind of dirty move you’d see from Trump and Melania. Straight up assholes. This is why they’re so desperate for Harry to come back.

      • Ginger says:

        And Harry congratulated South Africa for beating England in the rugby World Cup in 2019. He was hanging with them in the locker room and was seen hugging the president. Harry is a real man. William is a spoiled brat.

      • Nyro says:

        I was gonna say William is his father’s son but Charles would never pulled a stunt like that. He’s trash as a family man but he does make sure to fulfill his duties as POW. He and Camilla would have been sure to stay and honor the commitment, greeting the Italian head of state, watching the trophy presentation, and congratulating both teams. William is a little punk and so is Kate. Also, great lesson to teach little FFFK. I bet you Will was punching the walls when he got home.

        Harry in SA for Rugby was brilliant. He really is a statesman.

    • Mich says:

      I just saw that. A really dumb and petulant move if true.

    • 2cents says:

      William can take an example from his brother Harry. I remember the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa. Harry flew to Japan. Although England lost he congratulated each South African player and even did a small uplifting speech in the locker room.

      Like Trump, the Twitter president, William aspires to be the Twitter king. “Changing the world” by pressing a computer button instead of appearing on national television and telling his nation that racism (in football) is bad. Oh, wait he did that when he wanted the BBC to stop airing a 25 year old interview of his mother whom he called “paranoid”.

      How many more PR disasters can the Cambridges afford before losing all credibility: a failed Covidtour, failed promotour to keep Scotland in the UK, failed charm offensive at the G7, promoting republicanism for Australia at Wimbledon and failing to represent England when losing the Final and tweeting a hypocritical message against racism that backfires globally.

      No invisible contract between royals and media/press is able to hide royal incompetence.

    • Eurydice says:

      How is it that everything W&K have done since H&M left has been wrong? Clumsy, tone-deaf, ignorant, lazy, entitled – like the reverse Midas touch, everything turns to sh*t. Maybe Charles should enlist them for his organic gardens.

  58. HK9 says:

    How sad is it that I thought this would happen yesterday and it did. Sigh….

  59. J ferber says:

    Kaiser, your story title was perfection.

  60. Athena says:

    The Keens thought attaching themselves to sport events would be an easy win, but here we are, controversy over the treatment of the Australian who won at Wimbledon and this racist abuse by supporters of the football team. Those two are in over their heads. William the statesman thinks all he has to do is make declarations, “I’m bored with racism”, “we are so not a racist family” and there that should settle it.

    • Nyro says:

      I can’t even express how glad I am about this loss. The Keens really thought they were going to be carried out of that stadium on folks’ shoulders and placed on the throne. Those two vampires were ready to take every bit of glory and praise showered upon that team. They already had their people in the media,shading Harry and Meghan too. I love that the exact opposite has happened for them. The world’s watching and they’re in deep doo doo.

      • Tessa says:

        Then the stans would go on about George, The Good Luck Charm. Enough is enough.

      • Nyro says:

        They would have gaslit the world about everything. Brexit, Meghan and Harry, etc. The ancestors said hell no you won’t! They’ve been exposed, Meghan is seen as being vindicated, their politicians are being called out, etc. They had to lose. Winning would have emboldened these people even further. They lost and now the whole world is looking at England with a disgusted snarl on our faces.

  61. MMadison says:

    Let’s be clear: The racist around the world are plotting as we speak to protect their own. In the coming days DailyFail, FOX and the RF will come together to protect their future racist King….just watch. They discovered today they have an American problem so watch the propaganda media machine of the RF at work.

    • Nyro says:

      Fox News has an article about his hypocrisy. What happened yesterday to those young men and black fans over there was really bad and not even the haters can get away with calling Meghan a liar now. The whole world’s talking about this.

      • MMadison says:

        Trust me FOX is plotting. It’s a Murdoch media hot mess propaganda channel…..they live and thrive off racism and division.

  62. Melly says:

    William is being dragged for filth on Twitter about his statement and the hypocrisy considering Megan’s treatment. It’s truly satisfying to read.

  63. Alexandria says:

    William you messed up.

  64. Ginger says:

    I am so glad William is getting dragged. He deserves this.

  65. Jenna says:

    One of the best tweets I’ve seen in a while, courtesy of Imani Gandy @AngryBlackLady:

    ————————————————————————————-
    “Ooooh now do the racist abuse aimed at Meghan Markle.”

    *pulls up chair*
    ————————————————————————————

    Nailed it.

  66. Christine says:

    You know you are going to have an enjoyable gossip day when the first title you see makes you burst out laughing!

  67. Chelsea says:

    I think what frustrates me the most is how predictable this all was. The moment we saw Rashford, Saka, and Sancho take those kicks we knew what was going to happen. Hell we all knew even before the match that if England didn’t win the Black players would take abuse. And yet even wirh that knowledge nothing was done to protect them. It makes me sick and Patel coming out to “condemn” the racism after she said it was ok for England fans to boo their team for taking the knee is infuriating.

    And at this point im at my wits end with these idiot taxpayer funded royals. Literally just a month ago there was racist bile streaming out of KPs comment sections on their post about Lilibet’s arrival but they didnt bother to clean it up and said not damn word but William is so cocerned about racism in Football?! FOH. An underrated moment fron the Oprah interview was when Harry talked about how 72 female MPs signed a letter calling out the racism against Meghan but his family refused. You can see how much it pained him when he talked about how he tried to talk with them about it but they dismissed him even after his son was publicly compared to a chimp. They are Rotten human beings and im happy to see them be called out today.

  68. Shannon says:

    I have legit traveled all over the world, and as as Black American I always found the U.K. to be very, very racist. I take offense to any claim that the country is not as racist as the U.S. Seriously, these ppl still have a class structure in place via their monarchy. The CROWN has supported racism and is still racist because they abhor change. Yet, all white Britons like to claim they are free of racism. Like they’re too classy to have those “deplorable” emotions.

    I am glad they lost. All the black players should boycott racist Britain and their sports. Then they will never win again in anything.

    • Jenna says:

      Well, they certainly aren’t “too classy” to protect and enable the serial sex offender who’s currently ninth in line for their precious throne. The uppermost levels of the wealthiest, whitest aristocratic class system on the planet have protected Andrew for years.

      I’m with you: I’m so sick of finger-waggy Brits admonishing Americans for being “the most” racist. When Marjorie Taylor Hitler called for a return to “Anglo-Saxon values,” she was talking about America’s White, specifically English, roots.

      England is foundationally imperialist. They’re an island, and a not-very-big one at that. They haven’t been able to grow or make everything they need to survive for a very long time. They achieved global domination by killing Black and Brown people and stealing their stuff, and most of them will tell you right now, if you ask, that they think that’s perfectly okay.

      The future king of England got his undies in a bunch thinking about how dark his nephew’s skin might turn out to be (you just know it had to be William…). If that’s not the very definition of institutional racism, I don’t know what is.

      • Shannon says:

        Hear hear!

        I love how they all say they improved things in India, Africa, and the Middle East by providing infrastructure, but their greatest accomplishment is really the United States, which REBELLED against them for freedom. It’s…. really ironic when you think about it.

        MTG is a NUTBALL…nuff said!

  69. inka says:

    The what if scenario.. I believe fans especially soccer (football) ones are the worse overall, they’re dangerous, unfair etc. and everyone would get a lot of hate.
    If I’m honest letting such inexperienced young players was a bit too much for the final! They didn’t look composed and did this silly steps.. Bad strategy.

    • Shannon says:

      I remember an interview with a very popular Black Frenchmen who said soccer was super racist. He mentioned being spit on so much that his Jersey was wet with spit. Then there were the monkey chants and bananas being thrown on the field. I remember thinking when I watched that interview, “Who the F brings bananas to game if they aren’t going to eat them?” I mean seriously, how many times do YOU buy bananas?

      I love the U.K.’s culture and influence, but it is TIME FOR THEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LATENT, BLATANT, AND OBVIOUS RACISM IN THAT COUNTRY.

      TIME IS UP… AND IT’S LONG OVER DUE!!!

  70. nina says:

    Piss Morgan all over twitter trying hard to rehabilitate his image

  71. Savu says:

    Is Kate pulling the white/cream combo Meghan likes? The cosplay is endless.

  72. Lizzie says:

    I just scrolled through KP’s comments and they are overwhelmingly calling out the hypocrisy. Gosh, and he is elegant and everything.
    The dm will probably have an article about Keen bravely finding her voice tomorrow.

  73. L4frimaire says:

    He’s full of it and everyone knows it’s BS, this fake concern he has about racism. He has directly benefited from racism toward his sister-in- law and his actions toward her reek off it. Then to make things worse, he didn’t even stick around to present the trophy and medals or meet with the winning team. That’s his job as president of the football association.

  74. Kale says:

    It’s not. The president of UEFA is the one who presents the trophies. He’s president of the English FS so he presents that competition trophies. In his role, he went to the changing room to congratulate the players as the coach and many of them have said and thanked him for.

  75. Marivic says:

    William cannot resolve racism in football or anywhere else until he resolves it within himself. Every time he opens his mouth to condemn racism it drags him all the way back to his treatment of the Sussexes— Meghan particularly. He can fool the UK, but he can’t fool the world. We see him. #sincerity.

  76. Cottage Cat says:

    Check out that money shot when Kate and Ma Goldsmith whispered something to George and he looked terrified

  77. Cottage Cat says:

    Kate has zero interest in working hard. Carole and Gary Middleton’s finances need a bloody hard audit