England News - Marcus Rashford mural defaced after missed Euro final penalty

A mural in honour of Marcus Rashford was defaced within hours of his missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final in what police are treating as a racist incident.
Ed Wellard, from Withington, tapes bin liners across offensive wording on the mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe on Copson Street, Withington, which appeared vandalised the morning after the England football team lost the UEFA Euro 2021 final.Ed Wellard, from Withington, tapes bin liners across offensive wording on the mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe on Copson Street, Withington, which appeared vandalised the morning after the England football team lost the UEFA Euro 2021 final.
Ed Wellard, from Withington, tapes bin liners across offensive wording on the mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe on Copson Street, Withington, which appeared vandalised the morning after the England football team lost the UEFA Euro 2021 final.

The word “F***” was scrawled over the huge artwork of the England footballer, painted on the side of a cafe in Copson Street in Withington, south Manchester.

The words “shit” and “bastard” were also graffitied beside the word “Saka”, the 19-year-old player whose final penalty miss gave Italy victory.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho, who also missed a penalty, were all targeted with racist abuse on social media after the game.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they were called at 2.50am on Monday to reports of the racially aggravated damage to the mural.

Chief Superintendent Paul Savill said: “This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated.

“Greater Manchester prides itself on being made up from a number of diverse communities, and hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“GMP takes crimes of this nature very seriously and an investigation has been launched.

“If anyone has any information that could help us to identify this offender, please do not hesitate to speak to police.”

The graffiti has since been covered over.

The mural, based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham and painted by street artist Akse, was created last November in collaboration with Withington Walls, a community street art project.

It was reportedly commissioned in recognition of the Manchester United player’s work to tackle child food poverty.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rashford’s mother provided the quote on the mural, which reads: “Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and England manager Gareth Southgate have led the condemnation of those racially abusing black England players.

---

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor