A “vile” Euro 2020 final racist abuser from England has been imprisoned
UNITED KINGDOM — Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were all subjected to racist abuse by a football fan after the Euro 2020 final.
After England’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy in July at Wembley, 52-year-old Jonathon Best had a “grossly abusive” diatribe against the players, which he put on Facebook in an 18-second clip.
He had previously pleaded guilty to “sending via public communication network a substantially offensive or indecent or obscene or threatening message or materials” and was sentenced on Tuesday at Willesden Magistrates Court in London.
After England failed to win their first World Cup championship in 1966, a flood of internet hatred was hurled at the trio of black players who missed their penalties.
As a way to dissuade future offenders, Judge Denis Brennan opted for a prison sentence instead of a suspended one.
“The comments you uttered were antediluvian, filthy, and repugnant — they strike at the very essence of our civilized society and are toxic,” Brennan said in sentencing him.
Forklift driver Best from London was reported to Facebook and the police by a friend and coworker after he refused to take down a message.
“When approached by a Facebook friend asking him to remove the grossly offensive content, Best replied: ‘It’s my profile, I can do what I want.’,” said prosecutor Elaine Cousins.
racism has no place in sports or anywhere else for that matter. There is a good chance that this prosecution will help educate and dissuade others from posting hateful things on social media.
Racist social media remarks during the Euro 2020 finals led to the arrest of 11 persons in August, according to British law enforcement officials.
Pressure from political and sports figures prompted social media firms like Facebook and Twitter to crack down on racial abuse on their platforms.
Ticketless crowds forced their way into Wembley stadium and battled with security personnel during London’s premier event.
In September, England players were subjected to racist slurs during a World Cup qualifying match in Hungary.
Hungary was fined $219,000 and forced to play two home games in FIFA tournaments behind closed doors, with one of those games being postponed. FIFA is the world governing body of football.
