Cricketer Pietersen slams racial abuse of England's Black footballers after Euro final loss

Pietersen, a former national team captain, got caught in the chaos that broke out after England's loss to Italy in the penalty shootout of the summit showdown at Wembley.

London: England's former star cricketer Kevin Pietersen on Monday condemned the racial abuse of three Black players on social media after their loss in the Euro final and wondered if the country should get hosting rights of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Pietersen, a former national team captain, got caught in the chaos that broke out after England's loss to Italy in the penalty shootout of the summit showdown at Wembley.

The cricketer joined British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Football Association (FA) in slamming those who abused the three players of colour after they failed to score in the shootout.

"The walk I took with Dylan to get our car home last night was scary absolutely HORRENDOUS! This behaviour in 2021?? The abuse of the players who gave us so much joy??

"Do we actually deserve the 2030 World Cup?," Pietersen tweeted.

Earlier in the day, the PM said on Twitter the players "deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media."

"Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves," Johnson tweeted.

The FA, the country's apex football body, also condemned the racial abuse of its players.

FA pointed out that this England team has been highlighting the issue of racism throughout the tournament, taking the knee before all their matches.

In the shootout, England's two goals were scored by captain Harry Kane and Harry Maguire.

Their next three shots were taken by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka -- all Black teammates.

Sancho and Saka's shots were blocked by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Rashford's hit the upright.

Italy netted two goals in their final three shots to win their first Euro title since 1968.

In another tweet, Pietersen wrote, "The media in UK is probably the most powerful in the world. It should be their responsibility of theirs, to enforce the social media giants into verifying EVERY SINGLE PERSON that has an account.

"No robots & no fake accounts! ACCOUNTABILITY for all! It's destroying society!"

The United Kingdom are among the bidders to host the World Cup in 2030.

Last month, Spain and Portugal made their bid to host the tournament, joining the UK and Ireland and another bid from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, aimed to coincide with the centenary of the first World Cup, which was played in Uruguay.

PTI