Richard Madeley calls for racist trolls to be 'locked away' following England defeat
Richard Madeley has slammed racist social media trolls who targeted England players after the Euros final, saying they should be "dragged by the scruff of the neck into the dock".
The Good Morning Britain guest host held nothing back as he said what he thought of people aiming vile racist abuse at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed penalties in Sunday's final.
Read more: Gareth Southgate takes responsibility for England penalty misses
Discussed the trolling in Monday morning's show, Madeley said: "It’s not enough just to decry it and call it disgusting. We have to track these people down, and it is possible through IP addresses.
"We need to spend some time and some money to get these guys and to lock them away."
'The people sending these messages are breaking the law'- @richardm56
'Anyone who criticises players for taking a knee needs to take a long hard look at themselves'- @susannareid100
Susanna & Richard share their anger over the racist comments Rashford, Saka & Sancho received. pic.twitter.com/CPegnYDHKJ— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) July 12, 2021
Madeley went on: "It is not representative of this country. It is a disgusting distortion of what this country now is today. It didn’t used to be, but now we are a properly diverse, wonderful country to live in today.
"These people who are sending these messages are breaking the law. They’re breaking a profound moral code and they need to be dragged by the scruff of the neck into the dock."
Madeley's co-host Susanna Reid was equally damning.
She said: "We’re united in condemning the racist abuse. It is heartbreak after heartbreak… Frankly, it’s disgusting. The full force of the law should be brought down on their heads."
The team were discussing the shameful social media comments after the FA released a statement condemning them.
Read more: Good Morning Britain hit with complaints over Richard Madeley interview with Sage scientist
The statement read: "The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media.
"We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments for anyone responsible."
Watch: England lose Euros final to Italy
