'Never apologise for who I am', says Marcus Rashford after racist abuse

England’s Marcus Rashford said he will “never apologise for who I am” in an emotional statement after receiving racist abuse following the side’s Euro 2020 final defeat. After missing penalties in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to Italy, the Manchester United attacker was one of three players attacked by racial trolls, along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Rashford’s England team-mate Tyrone Mings criticised British Home Secretary Priti Patel, saying she had “stoked the fire” by defending those who booed players taking the knee. During the coronavirus pandemic, Rashford became a hero to many people outside of football by lobbying the British government to provide free school meals to underprivileged children. “I’m Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that,” Rashford wrote in a statement on Twitter. Rashford, who came in late in the second extra time period, apologised for missing the penalty and stated “something didn't feel quite right” when he came to attempt the kick. "It’s been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently,” he wrote. “I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from,” Rashford added. Images on social media showed a mural honouring Rashford in his hometown of Withington had been defaced before locals covered the hateful language with messages of support. “Seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears,” Rashford said. The racist attacks were strongly condemned by the English Football Association whose president, Prince William, said he was "sickened" by the abuse. England's players made a powerful stand against racism during the tournament, taking a knee before their games including Sunday's final. #England’s Marcus Rashford said he will “never apologise for who I am” in an emotional statement after receiving racist abuse following the side’s Euro 2020 final defeat. After missing penalties in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to Italy, the Manchester United attacker was one of three players attacked by racial trolls, along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Rashford’s England team-mate Tyrone Mings criticised British Home Secretary Priti Patel, saying she had “stoked the fire” by defending those who booed players taking the knee. During the coronavirus pandemic, Rashford became a hero to many people outside of football by lobbying the British government to provide free school meals to underprivileged children. “I’m Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that,” Rashford wrote in a statement on Twitter. Rashford, who came in late in the second extra time period, apologised for missing the penalty and stated “something didn't feel quite right” when he came to attempt the kick. "It’s been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently,” he wrote. “I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from,” Rashford added. Images on social media showed a mural honouring Rashford in his hometown of Withington had been defaced before locals covered the hateful language with messages of support. “Seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears,” Rashford said. The racist attacks were strongly condemned by the English Football Association whose president, Prince William, said he was "sickened" by the abuse. England's players made a powerful stand against racism during the tournament, taking a knee before their games including Sunday's final. #Marcus_Rashford