Rachel Gillett on racism following UEFA Euro 2020 final

Following England's defeat in last week's UEFA Euro 2020 final, three English players were overwhelmed with racist abuse. Assistant Professor in Cultural History Rachel Gillett analyses the global context of this event in .

Global racism
"One of the worst things about this racism was how predictable it was," Gillett writes. "Racism has long been found in European sports, and is intensified when players of colour are put in the spotlight during major international competitions." This type of racism is thus not unique to England: Muslim Indian players and Japanese players with black heritage have experienced similar situations.
Not belonging
"Such abuse is a particularly ugly mix of grief, fandom, patriotism, rage and scapegoating," Gillett explains. "When fans engage in racist abuse, they are targeting players because they are seen as 鈥渘ot belonging鈥." When certain players are excluded from 'us', 'we' haven't lost the match. This suggests deep insecurity about fans' own identity and a wish to feel superior.