“Best way to silence the haters”
England ran out comprehensive 5-1 winners over Montenegro on Monday night in their Euro 2020 qualifier, but unfortunately alleged racist chanting was once again a topic being discussed in the aftermath,
A number of England players reported racist abuse from the home supporters during the game – England’s second consecutive win in their qualifiers for the European Championships – with manager Gareth Southgate openly discussing the abuse of Danny Rose that he himself had heard towards the end of the game.
Manchester City star Raheem Sterling scored England’s fifth and final goal of the game, and he made a conscious effort to mock the racists in attendance. His celebration was greeted with yet more abuse, as well as objects thrown from the crowd.
Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) 🙉😘 #2019 #getsomeeducation pic.twitter.com/ohhkOJtdey
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 25, 2019
After the game Sterling, a man who has been forced to endure racism from both supporters and media in his own country as well as from fans overseas, stated without any confusion that his celebration was to “silence the haters”.
In a tweet he said: “Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists)” and added a hashtag which said “get some education”.
Once again Sterling has shown his ability to rise above the vitriolic and horrific abuse that he and other players of colours are subject to, and once again he is proving that he is quickly the becoming the most iconic English footballer of his generation.
