Opinions

England Team: A love letter to the players

3 August 20212 August 2021By
England Team: A love letter to the players

Opinions editor, Inayah Shah shares a love letter to the England Team and the impact that they have had on young people.

Dear the England Team,

Being ‘English’ and being represented by an ‘English’ team has always been a weird topic for me where I never really know where I stand. I used to look at the old England team and see a group of men from all areas and places in the Premier League, cooped together in a team to represent this country internationally. As a lifelong, dedicated Manchester United fan, I used to watch England games to support the Manchester United players and that would be as far as my support for England would go. Not because I didn’t want them to win, or because they didn’t deserve to win, but mostly because except for the United boys, I couldn’t see a team that represented me. However, I’m now in my twenties. My relationship with football, both international and domestic has changed and I see an England team with the capabilities of representing all of us, instead of just some.

MORE: Football and Me: Why the beautiful game means so much to fans

The England team never really appealed to my dad, who has been my main influence in my love for football. He never enjoyed the hype around a team who didn’t seem to win anything and mostly, wanted the Manchester United boys to rest up for the next season ahead. For him, our hesitation to support the England team are different, but I do think there is an argument to be made that perhaps he couldn’t support a team in which he didn’t see himself.

Over the past few weeks since the Euros started, my relationship with the England team has genuinely transformed, in ways I never thought were possible. In theory, it should be straightforward and simple. I was born here, and I live here – who else would I possibly support? It’s a tough one. It’s a relationship which has needed to be evaluated and revised and it has taken this particular England squad to change my mind.

To the Three Lions

Standing up to take a penalty is daunting on most days, I imagine. However, taking a penalty, in the Euros final in front of England fans in Wembley Stadium with the whole of the country watching – that’s a different ballgame. So, when Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, took the responsibility to take a penalty for the squad – I was nervous but hopeful. And when they missed, I was heartbroken. Partly for the fans and the country, not at all for the people in the Royal box, but for them and the squad who had worked so hard to get this far in the competition.

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But it was more than just missing a penalty for them, and you could see it on their faces. The weight of the country on their shoulders, a country that has not proven to be kind both in the press and social media and knowing that they aren’t just ‘players’ but players of colour and their actions will be racialised. The three boys who stepped up to take the penalty had all played an intense few weeks of football, some playing a full 90 minutes while others would make magic happen in extra time. Regardless of their gameplay though, these boys have lived away from their families, and come straight from their regular footballing schedule to represent the country in this immense competition.

As soon as the boys had missed their penalties, I was scared to look on social media and see the abusive comments which flooded their profiles within minutes of the game finishing. Out of five men who had taken a penalty, two white people scored, and three black people missed – and this country wanted to riot about it. Instead of consoling, caring and processing, social media was torn between abuse and justifying why we shouldn’t be abusing these players.

“Saka is 19.”

“Rashford helped with the free school meals.”

“Sancho got two minutes of gameplay.”

The reasons to be kind to these people were endless and not incorrect either. However, why do we have to humanise and give reasons to not be abusive? Why do those players deserve racism for missing a penalty? Missing penalties is a frequent narrative in the England team, during finals and has happened year in, year out to the greatest of players. So, what is different about these three boys? At what point did we normalise being racially abusive to football players because their penalties were saved? It has happened before, and it will happen again – to players of all colours. But the difference is, players of colour will suffer the worst kind of abuse imaginable, for the same mistakes their white predecessors have made.

The racism unleashed onto these footballers is indicative of this country’s attitude towards its own history and in particular, its relationship with racism and confronting the realities of how this country has historically treated people of colour. How were we surprised at the racism these three players received when it was the same ‘fans’ at the beginning of the international season that were booing the England players for taking the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement? People in this country who are not impacted by racism, have become incredibly comfortable in commenting on how people who are racially abused should react to racism.

The Reaction

Attention and accountability must be directed towards two people in particular – Priti Patel and Boris Johnson. Both of which, refused to condemn the booing of the knee when the Euros first began and are just as liable for the racism these players have endured as are the fans who were tweeting the abuse in the first place. In what may be one of the best and needed responses to Priti Patel, Tyrone Mings pointed out her hypocrisy publicly on Twitter to counter her narrative of being ‘anti-racist’. It is actions such as these that show this England team are more than just ‘football players’ and are warriors of social justice and change, both on and off the pitch.

With further grace and humility, the three boys who missed the penalty responded to Sunday night’s performance in lengthy social media posts. As expected, their responses were heartfelt, genuine and you can feel both their disappointment in losing but pride in wearing the England badge on their shirt. I hope that despite the abuse they have received, they will continue to wear the badge and continue to display what this new England team mean for this country – a breath of fresh air and a team representative of the society we live in.

 

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All I can say to these three players in particular, is that it was a joy watching them whether it was for 45 minutes, 90 minutes or even 10 minutes. They created opportunities on the pitch and have inspired a new young generation of upcoming players and fans who have never seen people who represent them in the England squad. Saka, Rashford and Sancho’s career should not and will not be defined by these three penalties but their impact on people’s lives will be. They are monumentally talented, gracious and inspiring and this country are lucky to have these young men in this England team.

Gareth Southgate: Building a team for today

I don’t really know much about Southgate’s past as a player or his track record as England manager but him and his waistcoats quickly became iconic and admired these past few years as he has rebuilt and redefined this England squad. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of a clip that resurfaced of him speaking about Brexit:

In the clip, he speaks about the racial undertones in the Brexit campaign and how young people in particular would connect with the England squad he was in the midst of building. And he could not be more correct.

I have always struggled as a football fan to see how Manchester United and Manchester City players could be rivals on the pitch midweek and then playing harmoniously together in an England match on a Saturday. I also struggled to see how John Terry was the captain of the England team when he was far from a role model yet is hailed as an ‘England legend’. To me, to be a great player requires more than playing ‘good’ football. You must be a role model both on and off the pitch and respect your fellow players, a trait that was hard to come by from previous England squads.

When you’re watching the old England team, you can see the Premier League divisions and it is something that both my dad used to struggle with, and I inherently couldn’t wrap my head around. Yet, when I sat down to watch this team, I didn’t see premier league allegiances or rivalries. I saw a cohesive, unified team who wanted to inspire and play excellent football with winning in their sights. In an interview with Josh Denzel, host of Lion’s Den on England’s YouTube Channel, Marcus Rashford credited Southgate as specifically working to help the squad adjust from being rivals to teammates in a short space of time and creating a squad that can flip between those two roles seamlessly.

You don’t have to look far on England’s YouTube channel to see the joy, fun and community that Gareth Southgate has created in his squad and these attitudes trickle down into their game play. It may be the reason why England made it so far in the Euros and why the support and hysteria around the squad was at the highest it has ever been.

 

You can really see Southgate’s impact as a manager with captain Harry Kane’s statement in solidarity with his teammates.

 

I honestly didn’t know what to expect in the few days following the final and how the squad would react to the abuse targeted at their teammates, but Kane’s statement perfectly sums up what it means to now be an England fan. I cannot imagine the likes of previous England squads making a statement as profound as: “if you abuse anyone on social media, you’re not an @England fan and we don’t want you.”  It is direct, impactful and straight from the account of England’s captain and is exactly the solidarity needed to show both his teammates and fans alike, that any abuse – especially racial – will no longer be tolerated or normalised.

Gareth Southgate has created a team that is a mirror to England as a country and society and is nurturing upcoming talent from all areas and communities of the country. They are a mostly youthful team, of different backgrounds, experience and footballing talent. The outpouring of support especially from younger fans from minority ethnic backgrounds is an indication of just how the conversation of being ‘English’ is constantly evolving and changing to include more of us. This is a team of inclusion and a celebration of diversity in English culture rather than exclusion and a team reserved for/resolving around ‘whiteness’.

I hope that despite their loss, Gareth Southgate will continue on as England manager and build on the monumental work he has already started with this team and lead them into a successful World Cup campaign in 2022. If there was ever team to lead England to future success – it is this team and this manager.

More than just a game

After a period of difficulty, tremendous loss and darkness, it feels reductive to put down the rebuilding of hope and happiness of the country down solely to the football. However, there is a strong case to be made, especially from a personal point of view. As the world has started to reopen again and as a society, we grapple with our ‘new normal’, the overdue Euros was an aspect of normality this country desperately needed. I began commuting to work again as the Euros started and I didn’t realise how much the excitement of a football match in the evening could get you through the day. I had crippling ‘reopening anxiety’ but there was a comfort in coming home every night and watching football games with my family – both England and the various other teams who were competing. I really felt the loss once I came home on the Monday after the Euros finished and there was no football match ready to be watched when I walked in the door.Amidst all the darkness and negativity created by some football spectators, there was so much hope, love and happiness that emerged from this international football season that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Whether it was the outpour of support after Marcus Rashford’s mural was vandalised:

 

Or the rallying around the Three inspirational Lions:

 

 

Or Jordan Pickford being extremely annoyed when he has to do his job as a goalkeeper:

Or perhaps my personal favourite, the nation discovering Jack Grealish:

Or maybe Luke Shaw scoring his first ever goal for England…in the final…with broken ribs:

 

 

How about some incredible fan moments?

 

Or the entirety of the England YouTube page:

 

 

Or maybe the England Squad as a whole, who have defined a generation:

 

And just for some extra joy – Bukayo Saka on an inflatable unicorn:

It’s taken me awhile to get there, but I have re-evaluated my relationship with the England team and redefining what it means to be ‘English’. The ‘fans’ who booed the England team as they took the knee, or hurled racist abuse towards the England players are not fans at all. The fans are the people who drowned out those boos with applause, who celebrated the diversity that makes up the England team and who loves and respects the players through the good and bad times – the goals and the missed penalties. It is not the racist people who are England fans, it is people like you and I who are England fans – we are the fans that this squad deserve to support and celebrate them. We are the people who define what it means to be English.

MORE: The Liaison Between Racism and English Football Fans

I sincerely hope that people who support the England team are also supporting their colleagues who may be people of colour, who may be shouted at across a pub or harassed on the street while walking home from a match. Change cannot happen without collective solidarity and unity against racism. Racism cannot be eliminated in both football and society solely by black and brown people. We need allyship from white people to call out racism between peers and having these uncomfortable conversations that will inevitably help our society be better off and better educated. We must continue the conversations sparked during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and ensure that we have conversations with friends, family and colleagues to ensure we are playing our part in stamping out racial hatred. Football, whether people like it or not, is an influential game and the players, who they are and what they stand for matters more than ever. Seeing white players taking a knee, or wearing Black Lives Matter on the back of their shirts is the beginning of a long line of overdue conversations and solidarity that in the past has been absent from the game. To see every team and player in the Premier League standing together in unity for one collective message not only signifies the start of a new era in football – but the game taking a new form where young people of colour will grow up seeing teams that reflect them and who they are. 

 

Gareth Southgate has created a team that has shown us that you don’t have to be white to be English or to represent England on an international platform. If you took out every player of colour of this England squad, they would not have made it past the first stage let alone to the final. It is thanks to the beautifully, culturally diverse squad of young men who have got us to the final of the Euros. It is thanks to immigration that we have an England squad. It is thanks to the England team for continuing to kneel, week in and week out, and for players of colour who continue to play, score and win for this country despite the racial abuse they face every day by their own fans.

Here’s to an England Squad who has not tried to be like any squad before them, but who have inspired and captured the hearts and minds of so many fans who have before felt excluded from English football and this team. It is thanks to them that I can finally support England without the shame or feeling that I’m part of a group that may not want me. I hope that this is the start of a shift in attitudes in football and one day it is normal for a Black football player to miss a penalty, without being racially abused. I hope we stop defining or reducing these players to solely their skin colour and they are celebrated nationally. I hope we grow to appreciate that we have an England squad which is finally representative of everyday people, from all corners of this country.

I can proudly say that after their triumphant Euros campaign, if this squad is representative of what it means to be English – then I am proud to be an England fan, and even prouder to be English… (*whatever that means.)

*definition is a work in progress.

If you would like to find out more about racism in football and what is being done to tackle this abuse, please visit the links below for how you can play YOUR part in shaping a better game:

No Room for Racism – Report Racism (Premier League): https://www.premierleague.com/reportracism

No Room for Racism – Education (Premier League): https://plprimarystars.com/

The FA – https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/respect/anti-discrimination/how-to-report-and-types-of-discrimination

Kick It Out – https://www.kickitout.org/

See Red Initiative – Manchester United: https://www.manutd.com/seered

Black Lives Matter UK – https://blacklivesmatter.uk/

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