Teen jailed over racist tweet at Man United star Marcus Rashford after Euro 2020 final

England Football Team's defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final saw Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka and Manchester United duo Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford facing abuse online. The racist abuse aimed at Marcus Rashford was subject to widespread criticism and also led to an outpouring of support. According to latest reports, a teenager was arrested for racially abusing Marcus Rashford.

Racism against Marcus Rashford: Teen arrested for online abuse

According to Sky Sports, 19-year-old Justin Lee Price pleaded guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court to "one count of sending a grossly offensive message by public communication network". As per the report, the teenager initially denied the charges during a police interview, and he even changed his name on Twitter to avoid detection.

However, he later admitted to posting the tweet when he was questioned by officers for a second time. His jail time was reduced as he pleaded guilty. This is not the first incident where a teenager has been arrested for abusing Rashford. In September 2021, another man was sentenced for posting racist and insulting comments on his Facebook page about Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

Mark Johnson of the Crown Prosecution Service in his statement said, “Price targeted a footballer based on the color of his skin and his action was clearly racist and a hate crime. 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.”

According to a report by Manchester Evening News, Price's solicitor said that his client felt ashamed and embarrassed by the tweets.

He said, "He spends a lot of time online, gaming, from his bedroom in online groups. On the night this offence took place he was with that online group, but he accepts the responsibility is his. He knows it was wrong and regretted it as soon as it was sent."

Marcus Rashford's fight against hateful online messages

After being hurled with abuses on social media after missing his penalty in the Euro 2020 final, Marcus Rashford in July last year, issued a statement on social media stating that he can take criticisms of his performance all day long but would never apologise for who he is and where he came from. He even admitted that his penalty was not good enough.