GARETH SOUTHGATE believes the reaction to the ugly scenes after the Euros final showed the haters CAN be beaten.
England’s Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were subjected to racist abuse online after missing penalties in the shootout loss to Italy.
The occasion was also marred by violence and disorder.
Southgate said: “We were seeing the very worst about our country, we were seeing the very worst, if you like, about our country, having been so close to a moment where none of that would probably have happened.
“That was hugely disappointing.
“There is not achieving what we wanted to achieve as a team, but to see our country in that light, under the microscope – because the rest of the world are looking at us at those moments – it just said to me we’ve got a lot of work to do.
“However far we’ve progressed, that one moment showed us how much there is to do.
“But I would also say the counter-reaction to (what happened to) the three boys, and the wave of support, was also really heartening because I think that was genuine and it was a little bit like when we were taking the knee and getting booed by certain sections.
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“The tidal wave and direction of travel is in the opposite direction.
“And it’s just a reminder that sometimes you’ve got to live through that pain to be able to make a difference.”
Southgate’s side drew praise for the way they engaged with various communities in the country throughout the tournament in the summer.
The manager is proud of the role the players have played in this and feels it has been a step forward.
He said: “With the national team, there’s more at stake than just the football and we’re recognising that and the most heartening thing for me has been that the people that have come up to me, celebrating their feeling of connection to the team, have been Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Afro-Caribbean.
“The changing in that over the last 18 months has been remarkable and I didn’t realise how disconnected we were from those communities in particular.
“So that’s what this group of players have done. I think they have been relatable.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
