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Gary Neville accuses Boris Johnson of fueling racism after vile abuse aimed at England players: ‘He said muslim women look like letterboxes’
The former football slammed the Prime Minister (Picture: Getty; Rex)
Gary Neville has accused Boris Johnson of fueling racism after England players received vile abuse following England’s defeat in the Euro 2020 final.
Players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to online abuse after missing penalties on Sunday night, and Gary called out the impact of the Prime Minister’s previous comments.
The former England footballer made a reference to an article written by Johnson in the Telegraph in 2018, when he was accused of Islamophobia for comparing Muslim women wearing a niqab to letterboxes.
When asked if the PM could learn from England manager Gareth Southgate, Gary said: ‘He said muslim women look like letterboxes. I think he does yeah, do you not?’
‘Gareth Southgate and Boris Johnson are absolutely poles apart. You can be a leader and gentleman. You can be ruthless but have empathy and compassion.’
Gary added: ‘This is nothing to do with Conservatives, Labour or Liberal Democrat. I really am disenfranchised with what I see in politics at this moment in time. There is a lack of leadership.
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‘Gareth over these last few weeks… he talks with dignity, he’s genuine, he’s compassionate. He connected to the people of this country. It’s someone and feel like I know.’
He went on to say: ‘And yet, when I hear sometimes when the MPs speak, I think: “What is happening? How can we vote for these people?”
‘[Southgate] is hugging the captain of the opposite one minute and he’s hugging Saka the next. That’s what a great leader does.
England were defeated by Italy in the Euro 2020 final (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s carried himself brilliantly. It demonstrates that you can be a gentleman, you can be have really good standards but you can also lead.’
It comes after England players found themselves on the receiving end of vile abuse after losing out to Italy on penalties.
More: Boris Johnson
The Prime Minister tweeted on Monday morning, saying: ‘This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
‘Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.’
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