The government did not back England players when fans booed them for taking the knee and now faces the consequences
So, as the prime minister has learned, a week is a long time in football. He and Priti Patel began it grinning in their crisp new England shirts, seeking kudos for their politics from a triumph in Europe just months after they took Britain out of the European Union. Instead, the racism that rained on England’s young black players following defeat on penalties on Sunday meant Johnson and Patel were finally confronted with consequences of the green light they gave to racism before the tournament started.
One senior football figure told me there was “deep outrage” in the game about Johnson and Patel backing the fans who booed England players taking a knee, describing it as “the deepest insult”, evoking the most shameful period of racism in football. For the first time, a government saw an advantage for itself from siding with racists rather than supporting those who have worked for decades to kick racism out.
Written by David Conn
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jul/15/boris-johnson-priti-patel-must-learn-when-politicians-play-fire-others-get-burned-england-euro-2020 under the title “Johnson and Patel must learn that others get burned when politicians play with fire | David Conn”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
