The FA has insisted there were never plans for the England team to attend a Downing Street bash if they lost their Euro 2020 final.
It comes amid a race row between certain players and Government ministers, with Tyrone Mings slamming Home Secretary Priti Patel for ‘stoking the fire of racism’.
There have been suggestions that players snubbed a No10 invitation, but the FA told Metro.co.uk this is untrue as there was not an event planned.
Downing Street previously echoed this, saying in a statement: ‘The PM would have been delighted and honoured to host a reception for the England squad to mark their outstanding performance in the European championship.
‘However No10 was informed prior to Sunday’s game that the FA’s preference was not for an immediate reception in the event England were to lose.
‘We continue to discuss suitable ways for the PM to thank the squad and coaching staff for their heroic efforts throughout the tournament.’
It follows a campaign group claiming England’s players had refused to attend a reception after the tournament.
Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice group tweeted: ‘We have it on good authority that the black English players told Gareth they wouldn’t attend the PM’s shindig at no 10. The words “Boris is cancelled” were used aggressively. #Euro2020Final #BlackLivesMatter’
After England lost the final to Italy, the three black players who missed England’s penalties, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, were barraged with horrific racist abuse.
Their social media accounts were flooded with monkey emojis, racial slurs, and instructions to ‘go back to your own country’.
Both Boris Johnson and Ms Patel condemned the disgusting comments, along with Prince William and thousands of fans.
But this angered some who accused the Government of fanning racial tensions earlier in the tournament, only to condemn racism after the final.
She also refused to criticise fans for booing players who chose to take the knee, telling GB News: ‘That’s a choice for (fans) quite frankly. I’ve not gone to a football match to even contemplate that.’
After the team suffered so much abuse following the final, Ms Patel said she was ‘disgusted’ by the racism and said it had ‘no place in our country’.
Tyrone Mings, who plays for the national team and Aston Villa, was quick to call her out for ‘pretending to be disgusted’.
He quoted Ms Patel’s statement and responded to her directly: ‘You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism messages as “Gesture Politics” and then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against happens.’
Mr Johnson, who has also faced allegations of hypocrisy, came out strong on Monday night when he started his press conference, telling racists to ‘crawl back under the rock from which you emerged’.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Downing Street, UEFA and the Football Association for comment.
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