England Born Nigerian Star Saka Speaks For 1st After Missing Decisive Penalty Against Italy
- Bukayo Saka has come out to speak for the first time since England's dramatic shoot-out loss to Italy at Euro 2020
- The Arsenal forward was racially attacked after missing the last penalty that gave the Azzurri's the trophy
- The 19-year-old believes social media platforms are not doing enough to curb racism from fans who attack players
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Bukayo Saka has aired his opinion after coming under racial abuses from fans when he missed England's decisive spot-kick that gave Italy the Euro 2020 title, Instagram, Sky Sports.
How Saka missed his penalty
The 19-year-old was given the responsibility to play the last spot-kick for the Three Lions which could have sent the shoot-outs into sudden death.
Source: UGC
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But a brilliant save from Gianluigi Donnarumma ended England's dream of winning their first trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
The Arsenal forward was then subjected to racial comments from fans with some saying he should return to his ancestral home Nigeria.
Saka's response to racial abuse
However, the skilful winger posted an emotional message on his social media handle insisting he will not be broken by the racial abuses.
"I was hurting so much and I felt like I'd let you all and my England family down, but I can promise you this. I will not let that moment or the negativity that I've received this week break me."
The Gunners winger also added the social media platforms are not doing enough to curb racism.
"To the social media platforms Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, I don't want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me Marcus and Jadon have received this week.
"I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages."
Meanwhile, Briefly News had earlier reported that Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after AC Milan chief Paolo Maldini confirming they have sealed a deal for the Frenchman.
Giroud has been the subject of transfer speculation despite the Blues opting to hand him a contract extension earlier in June. According to Mirror UK, Milan was the favourite to land the experienced forward having been linked with a move to the club for some time now.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Thando Mpembe Thando Mpembe is a sports journalist who has a passion for all things entertainment. In her spare time, Thando enjoys reading and spending time with family. She is an advocate for mental health and believes that a healthy body starts with a healthy mind. Thando holds an Honours Degree in Journalism from the University of Johannesburg. Her favourite quote is "Gentle reminder - you are not for everyone and that is a blessing". Email: thando.mpembe@briefly.co.za
