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- Marcus Rashford, Bakayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho received racial abuse after losing the Euro 2020 final.
- Tom Holland said in a social media post that the behavior of fans sending abuse was "despicable."
- He added that the players "deserve nothing but respect."
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Tom Holland slammed trolls who sent racist abuse to England's Black soccer players after the team lost the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
Bakayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho have all been targeted by online trolls after Rashford missed his penalty and the other two had their shots saved during the final on Sunday. Amongst the negative comments, they have also received racial abuse.
On Monday, Holland shared an Instagram post rallying support towards the three players.
He wrote: "The people abusing any England players are the only people who have let anyone down. Their behavior – the people who beat up the Italian fan and the a–holes hurling racist abuse is despicable. You are not my countrymen. These players deserve nothing but respect."
The "Spider-Man" actor continued: "They've given us so much in such a difficult time and they should be held up like kings not kicked while they are down. To Saka, Rashford, and Sancho, you had the bravery to step up. You guys are three lions and all decent Englishmen are proud of you and the whole team and staff and we will support you again come the World Cup. #f---racism."
Following the soccer match, many British celebrities have shared social media posts in support of the English players including Adele, "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton and Orlando Bloom.
Racism is unfortunately not uncommon for Black English soccer players. Raheem Sterling, pictured in Holland's post alongside Sancho, Rashford, and Saka, has spoken out against the racism he has received from the media and fans in the past.
After a mural of Rashford was defaced with abusive graffiti following the match, the English soccer player put out a strong statement saying he "will never apologize for who I am or where I came from." Rashford ended that statement by saying, "I'm Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old, Black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that. For all the kind messages, thank you. I'll be back stronger. We'll be back stronger."
The artwork has since been covered in hundreds of hearts, notes, and England flags.