‘We love you’ – England football fans defend Rashford after racist abuse

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MANCHESTER, England, July 13 (Reuters) – England football fans rallied around forward Marcus Rashford on Tuesday by covering the racist abuse scrawled on a mural to the black player in his hometown with messages of love and love support for a “hero” who they said was a national model.

Black players Rashford, 23, Jadon Sancho, 21, and Bukayo Saka, 19, suffered racist abuse after missing penalties in a shootout with Italy that settled the final of Sunday.

Fans covered the racist abuse scrawled on Rashford’s mural in Manchester’s Withington district with hundreds of little messages of support.

“We love you!” Read one of the messages. A pink heart was affixed to the mural with the simple word: “Hero”.

“You have defended us on several occasions, now is the time for us to defend you! Read another. Rashford posted photographs of letters from children who said they were proud of him.

Rashford, who was born in Manchester and raised by his single mother in the city’s Wythenshawe district, used his childhood experiences of hunger to campaign for children to receive free food.

“My penalty wasn’t good enough, it should have come in but I’ll never apologize for who I am and where I’m from,” Rashford said in a statement.

“Seeing the response to Withington brought me to the verge of tears. The communities that always surrounded me with their arms continue to support me. I am Marcus Rashford, 23, black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, in south Manchester . If I have nothing else, I have this. “

Reporting by Ed Sykes, Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kate Holton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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