England U21 manager Aidy Boothroyd says he would support his players walking off in protest...

[ASFN Admin]

England Under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd would support his players walking off the pitch in protest at racial abuse, ahead of next year’s European Championships finals in Slovenia. The Under-21s, who will face Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland in the group stage next March, suffered abuse in matches against Serbia in 2007 and 2012. Boothroyd believes a precedent has been set after Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris St Germain walked off this week when a coach was allegedly abused by one of the officials. “Whether racism is coming from a crowd, an official or an opponent, it is unacceptable. What happened in Paris took it to another level to say ‘we’re not having it’ and people want to stamp it out,” said Boothroyd. “If that day comes we’ll be ready for it. The actions of the players and staff in that particular game has meant that is a precedent now. “I would absolutely back my players. There are protocols put in by Uefa and we respect that. What happened the other night took it to another level. Those things are there to protect the players and behave properly.” Next year’s tournament will be split over two periods, in March and May, which means Boothroyd will be asking Gareth Southgate if the likes of Mason Greenwood, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham can strengthen the Under-21s if they are not needed for World Cup qualifiers. Jadon Sancho also qualifies for the Under-21s but has not played for them, having jumped to Southgate’s squad from the Under-19s. “Gareth might take a few up with him, a few might lose form, players might be in form. We've used 37 players and hopefully we can get as many as possible fit, keep them fit and continuity would be favourable,” Boothroyd said. “We’re facing very difficult opponents. You look at all the groups and they are difficult but ours is especially tough. We want to play the best and we are really looking forward to the challenge.”

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