Football needs a comprehensive anti-racism strategy

Bukayo Saka’s image was used to convey disappointment at England’s loss against Iceland – despite the fact that he was not on the pitch when Iceland scored. Photograph: CameraSport/Getty

The aftermath of England’s defeat in Euro 2020 highlighted a disturbing growing trend of racial abuse against black players. The focus at the time centred the blame on the easy targets who were using social media to express blatantly racist views. Before a ball has even been kicked in Euro 2024, headlines are already targeting Bukayo Saka, as discussed in Morgan Ofori’s article (Bukayo Saka’s treatment after Iceland loss exposed familiar media failings, 12 June).

While this may have been unintentional, it raises questions about the underlying message being sent. This time, we can’t blame the overt racists on the usual platforms. These images were used by mainstream media organisations. It is commendable that Ian Wright called out this behaviour.