Gareth Southgate and the England team have strong public backing in their fight against racism in football, a new poll shows.
Research by anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate, shared with the Daily Mirror, showed 59% believe Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel were wrong to say fans should be allowed to boo players taking the knee.
Almost half (49%) were Tory voters.
The poll of 1,512 people by Focaldata showed 62% support footballers’ involvement in social issues and 63% are for permanently banning people from social media for racist abuse.
Two thirds are for banning those who have racially abused players on social media from football grounds.
Three out of four people (72%) recognise racism is a problem in football, including 66% of Tory voters, who agree it is “serious” or “very serious”.
More generally, the England players’ had cut-through with the public, with a massive 80% of people understanding that taking the knee is about raising awareness of racism in football or identifying with the wider Black Lives Matter movement.
Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said: “The England players represent a country we can all be proud of.
"With their superb performances, and by taking the knee to show their opposition to racism, they showed they’re a team for everyone in England, regardless of who they are.
"Football, has the power to bring people together almost like nothing else.
"The England team brought people together by standing up for every member of the team and for every fan who has faced racism.
“They gave us hope on the pitch and in the fight against division and hatred.”
Ms Patel, who called taking the knee “gesture politics”, and the PM were criticised for failing to say fans who booed the players’ protest were wrong.
When players were racially abused after England’s Euros defeat to Italy, defender Tyrone Mings hit out at the u-turn.
He said: “You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message ‘gesture politics’, then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against happens.”
Labour ’s Angela Rayner said the change of heart was like “arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on”.
The Hope Not Hate charitable trust is launching a publication celebrating anti-racism campaigns in football called Heroes Of The Terraces.
The trust said of England’s team: “Their stance, and their success, has changed the sport and the country for the better.”
