In a friendly match building up to the Euros, the English national soccer team squared off against Iceland. However, it turned out to be a bitter defeat for the ‘Three Lions’. In the aftermath of their 1-0 loss, the British media ran a smear campaign against Bukayo Saka.
The Arsenal forward was subject to a lot of criticism and racial abuse online. In response, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton leaped to the defense of the 22-year-old. He took to his Instagram account and reposted an article about the incident on his stories.
The post that Hamilton had endorsed on his social media handle called out the English media for deliberately targeting black players. Hamilton felt it was unfair to target Saka, who had only played the match for a total of 20 minutes as a second-half substitute.
#LewisHamilton stands in support of #BukayoSaka after being “unfairly” targeted by the British media in the wake of #England‘s 1-0 loss to #Iceland pic.twitter.com/dPn9zS8BL3
— Anirban Aly Mandal (@AnirbanF1) June 8, 2024
Yet, the 22-year-old was featured on the front page of every newspaper in the UK. The post went on to explain how unfairly this had painted the young footballer. The team had conceded the goal early on in the first half, and Saka was nowhere involved in that incident.
In the past, Lewis Hamilton has been an active advocate for such causes. He has stood tall against the media, or the fans online vilifying black athletes. His public support for Saka goes on to show that the #44 driver is not afraid to stand up for causes that matter and transcend the sporting boundaries.
Lewis Hamilton has lent his voice to black soccer players before
Racism has been a rampant problem in all sections and levels of modern society. Professional soccer is no different. Saka has been just one in the huge line of black soccer players who have been unfairly subjected to such treatment.
For instance, Real Madrid sensation, Vinicius Jr. has been one such player in Spain who has regularly been subject to racial abuse and hate, both on and off the field. In the past, Hamilton has stood up for him as well.
️ | Lewis sobre coragem e confiança de Vini Jr.:
“Primeiramente, acho que Vinicius tem sido incrivelmente corajoso. É incrível que o que tantos deles estão experimentando em campo em termos de manterem a cabeça erguida e permanecerem fortes. Não há espaço para discriminação.” pic.twitter.com/r0ux4CeVuj
— Lewis Hamilton News (@LH44NEWS) May 25, 2023
The abuse that Vinicius Jr. faces on a regular basis has not fazed him, however. Most recently, the 23-year-old Brazilian superstar won the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid. He helped his team win a historic 15th title. Hamilton had come onto his social media handles to congratulate him for that feat as well.
