Marcus Rashford: England and Italy locked horns at the Wembley Stadium last summer in the finals of Euro 2020. After the score was level on 1-1 at the end of extra time, the match went on to penalties.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all on the receiving end of racist abuses as they missed their penalties.
Rashford in particular was subjected to those abuses on social media in July. In the latest news, a teenager from Worcester is now being prosecuted after he posted tweets abusing the Manchester United man.
“Justin Lee Price, 19, from Worcester, previously admitted to sending a grossly offensive message. By public communication network at a hearing at Worcester Magistrates Court on March 17.
“Price was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. He initially tried to avoid detection by changing his Twitter username after the post was reported,” the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Mark Johnson, a senior crown prosecutor for CPS West Midlands in a report has warned offenders.
“Price targeted a footballer based on the colour of his skin. And his action was clearly racist and a hate crime,” he said in the statement.
“Those who racially abuse footballers ruin the game for all. I hope this case sends out the message that we will not tolerate racism. And offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
⚖️ A Worcester teenager has been jailed for racially abusing Marcus Rashford.
Justin Lee Price was sentenced to six weeks' immediate imprisonment today (30 March 2022) at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court.
More: ➡️ https://t.co/2CpG2bVobz pic.twitter.com/mz5Ao10pOT
— Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands (@CPSWestMids) March 30, 2022
Douglas Mackay, the CPS sports lead prosecutor has revealed the rise of such crimes post the pandemic.
“The UK Football Policing Unit’s internal mid-season report has shown a significant rise in football-related criminality compared to pre-pandemic levels,” Mackay said.
“There is no place for hate in football, and hate crimes such as this have a significant impact on victims.”
