Anton Ferdinand says England should be banned from hosting 2030 World Cup

Charlie Herbert

The ex-pro admitted that England should be punished for the ugly scenes at Wembley.

Anton Ferdinand has said that England should be banned from hosting any major international tournaments until the issues of racism and crowd violence can be sorted out.

During the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, there were ugly scenes of violence as ticketless fans managed to break into the stadium, with footage after the game showing some fans attacking and beating up others.

This was followed by Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho receiving racist abuse on their social media accounts after missing penalties for England in the shootout.

Former West Ham and QPR player Anton Ferdinand has now backed the idea that England should not be allowed to host future international tournaments. The FA and government are planning to bid for the World Cup in 2030.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ferdinand said: “Yes, there should be consequences, there definitely should be consequences.

“That’s how people learn, but you’ve got to be willing to learn, that’s the problem. You’ve got to be willing to understand and be open-minded on what it is, especially when talking about the discrimination side of things.

“A lot of people who shout obscenities and things like that, they will never know what it’s like to be racially abused, racially profiled, but what they can do is try to understand it.

“We’re in a different generation now, what we’re seeing is a multi-cultural stance. It’s no longer just ethnic minorities speaking about this. So it’s time for these bigots and these uneducated fools to get in tune with today’s society.

“And for people who know it’s wrong and don’t want to speak out about it and check these people, you’re also part of the problem. To combat this and try to eradicate it, everyone needs to speak about it, not just the people on the receiving end.”

What do I see?? I see bravery, I see courage, I see 3 kings ❤️ @MarcusRashford @BukayoSaka87 @Sanchooo10 pic.twitter.com/sC9pOjOTOs

— ANTON FERDINAND (@anton_ferdinand) July 12, 2021

Ferdinand was full of praise for Gareth Southgate and his team though, and the way they have conducted themselves throughout the tournament.

He said: “The camaraderie in this team is why we got to the final, along with the quality of players in the team that we’ve got of course.

“But the camaraderie, the team spirit shone through for me more than anything. That togetherness, it expanded out into the masses of the nation.

“That’s how powerful Gareth Southgate’s stance, and the way that he’s been dealing with these issues, that’s how powerful it’s been.

“So if there’s anyone to model yourself on as a middle-aged white male, look at our leader of the FA in terms of our national team. Look at what he’s achieved by opening his mind and understanding different cultures.”