After colliding with Manuel Neuer during Arsenal’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich, Bukayo Saka has once again been the target of criticism and abuse.
We wonder why the winger is seen to garner more criticism than others on average.The emphasis turned to Bukayo Saka after Arsenal and Bayern Munich drew 2-2.
The England international went to ground following a collision with Manuel Neuer in the final moments of the game at the Emirates Stadium but his appeals for a penalty were waved away and the final whistle was blown.
What followed was an explosion of debate, opinions and division but perhaps sadly what has become far too commonplace, especially for Arsenal’s right winger, was a string of abuse and disrespectful comments online.
From both Arsenal and rivals fans, social media ignited with images of Saka alongside plenty of distasteful language.
It has sparked something of a question about why Saka in particular gets targeted perhaps more on average than other players. I want to delve into this somewhat and try to make sense of the reasons behind it – if that’s even possible.
The first place to start is where so often it does for Saka, especially when he steps up to take any penalty in a big game. In 2021, England reached the European Championship final and it was indeed Saka who stepped up to take what turned out to be the decisive spot kick, seeing Gianluigi Donnarumma save his attempt to hand the trophy to Italy.
What followed was a barrage of racist abuse in the days following with both Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford also targeted. It was a horrible experience for Saka but one which saw some light emerge as supporters came together to show solidarity with the then 19-year-old.
Therefore here we must address the awful reality that racism in football remains prevalent and a problem which has gone on for far too long and yet, despite the efforts made, continues to plague the sport.
Without a doubt, the abuse Saka still receives will in many cases be racially motivated and the hope persists that those who have the ability to do so can put in place measures to scrutinise the perpetrators more strictly and decisively whilst providing valuable education on the subject to help prevent further incidents.
