Italy eked out a 3-2 win on penalties against England in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley on Sunday. During the penalties, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka failed to convert from the spot as Italy’s keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma came out on top.

Following this, these three English players were subjected to vile racist comments on social media. The England football team coach Gareth Southgate has condemned the ‘unforgivable’ racist abuse.

While some, who were identified as England fans used racial slurs in blaming the trio for the defeat, others fired offensive messages that were accompanied by “Forza Italia” hashtags.

“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable. Some of it has come from abroad, we have been told this, but some of it is from this country,” Southgate said.

“We have been a beacon of light to bring people together and the national team stands for everybody. We felt the energy and positivity from the fans and I’m incredibly proud of that,” he added while addressing a press conference.

The English coach, too, had missed a crucial penalty in England’s Euro 96 semi-final against Germany and he knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of the jibes after a loss.

Many English players such as David Beckham and Raheem Sterling have been defamed by the fans after major tournament failures.

After the failure, Southgate said that supporting the players was his top priority.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re there, and aligned with their club, and making sure that we look after those boys, absolutely,” he said.

After years of under-achievement for England, Southgate guided the team to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia before taking them to the brink of their first major title in 55 years at Euros 2020.

English Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said during the tournament that he wanted to hand Southgate a new contract keeping him in the job until after the next European Championship in 2024.

The 50-year-old’s current deal is due to expire after next year’s World Cup in Qatar and while he wants a crack at winning the 2022 World Cup.