Over the past few weeks, the beautiful game has given us a taste of the worst and the best of the human condition.
We have seen hatred and bigotry from the jingoistic fans who booed through opposition national anthems and at our team taking the knee – a minority, but a seemingly ever-present group of football followers who have failed our country.
We have witnessed disgusting racist abuse on social media and daubed on the Marcus Rashford mural, triggered by missed penalties.
Was this influenced by our political leaders? The Prime Minister refused to endorse England’s players taking the knee.
And the Home Secretary hypocritically condemned the abuse they faced having given the nod to racists through her “gesture politics” claims which fanned the flames of hatred.
But there is surely a more positive outcome that burns in the embers of the defeat that felt so painful on Sunday evening.
Looking back on this tournament, there is plenty to be proud of, not just on the pitch but also off it.
Southgate and his team deserve immense credit – and not just for steering England to their first ever European Championship final.
In this febrile post-Brexit era of government-endorsed xenophobia, a team of broadly ordinary lads worked to bring the country together, espousing a message of unity, respect and togetherness.
Rashford has challenged the government and helped to raise £20 million for the food poverty charity FareShare.
No wonder his community came out in force to smother his graffiti-covered mural with supportive and loving messages.
In Southgate, the England team have found an inclusive leader who is more than a football coach.
He is someone who has true leadership qualities: honest and authentic, brave with decisions, positive, trusting of his players and staff, listening all the way and leading by example.
He is a role model for a progressive Englishness that values diversity and difference and has given us back our pride.
Let us all think on this when we select our future leaders as we aspire to forge a new England.
Come on England – World Cup ’22 – let’s bring it home.
Councillor John Allcock is the joint Labour opposition leader on Brighton and Hove City Council.
What a clown allcock is – ‘febrile post-Brexit era of government-endorsed xenophobia’ with the most diverse cabinet in Europe, members of which were born abroad or are second generation immigrants. Labour would do well to look at their own failures as a racist party before spouting more of this nonsense and having their white male group leader attacking an ethnic minority woman
An interesting and relatively balanced article in my view. And maybe the xenophobia I have seen evidenced on my screens is not actually government-endorsed, but from my perspective it doesn’t appear to have been condemned by any form of strong national leadership. Much as I need to disagree with the ‘Come on England’ sentiment at the end, I endose the need for more leaders like Southgate and Rashford – in politics, sport, business and every other avenue of society
GMP on the Rashford mural….”A police spokesperson said: “While the content of the vandalism is not believed to be of a racial nature, officers are keeping an open mind as to the motive behind defacing the artwork.”
Any old bandwagon eh????