Harry Kane calls for strong action after England players subjected to racist abuse
According to the Independent, Tottenham Hotspur and England captain Harry Kane hopes that action is taken after some players were subjected to racial abuse. It was a hostile atmosphere in Budapest, Hungary as several England players were said to be the on the end of vile abuse from the fans.
The international break is in full swing as teams from all over the globe play out their FIFA WC Qualifiers. Five of the ten rounds have been played as the groups are slowly starting to take shape. England were also in action as they travelled to Budapest to take on the home side, Hungary.
The Three Lions ran riot in the second half with goals from Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Declan Rice. However, that would prove to be a secondary event as there was a more pressing issue of Hungary supporters chanting racist abuse towards certain England players. It all started with Sterling scoring the opener and when he was celebrating near the corner flag- He and Jude Bellingham were subject to monkey chants (h/t Independent).
Hungary fans allegedly throw racial abuse at England players
Plastic cups and other objects were also thrown at the players when they celebrated their goals and through the rest of the game. UEFA had earlier charged Hungary with discriminatory behaviour during the Euros but it seems to have had no effect. They were ordered to play three games without fans but since this was a FIFA sanctioned fixture, the ban did not apply.
Spurs and England striker Harry Kane spoke about the incident post the game and hoped that action is taken.
“I didn’t hear [the chanting] but I’ll talk to the boys and see if they heard any of it. We’ll have to report it to [Fifa] and hopefully [Fifa] can come down strong.”
— The FA (@FA) September 2, 2021
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Even before the game, England players were booed for taking the knee to support anti-racism. This is becoming a frighteningly common occurrence with players getting racially abused. The trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka had to face similar abuse when England lost the Euros. The governing bodies will need to act on these incidents if they want to weed them out.
