Manchester man arrested for racist social media post made after Euros 2020 final

A Manchester man has been arrested after he was found to have made a racially-motivated social media post following England’s loss to Italy in the Euros 2020 final.   

Players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all targeted on social media after missing their penalties in England’s defeat in the Euros 2020 final. The Marcus Rashford mural in Withington was also defaced in the hour after the loss, though it has since been adorned with flowers and messages of love and support from locals. 

After the sickening reaction to England’s defeat, there have been overwhelming calls for the racists targeting the football players to be held accountable for their actions – a petition urging the FA to dish out lifelong bans to the perpetrators has even surpassed a million signatures. 

And now, just days after the slurs took place, Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that they have arrested one of the culprits from the region. 

The suspect, aged thirty-seven, is from Ashton-Upon-Mersey and handed himself in at Cheadle Heath police station this morning, July 14th, the force announced. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of an offence under Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act, and remains in custody for questioning.

It was also confirmed that his social media post was made on the evening of July 11th following the Italy v England Euro 2020 final.

Detective Inspector Matt Gregory of GMP’s Trafford division said in a statement: “The actions of a small number of people overshadowed what was a hugely unifying event for our country on Sunday evening. We are firm in our commitment, any racist abuse whether online or off is not acceptable.

“We now have one man in custody and our investigation continues. If you think you have information on this post, we’d like to hear from you on 0161 856 4973, quoting incident number 109 of 12/7/2021. You can also anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Anyone who has been a victim, or witness of hate crime, please do report it at your earliest opportunity, using 101, LiveChat or online at gmp.police.uk. Alternatively you can visit www.letsendhatecrime.com.”