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Ian Wright praised after hitting out at English press for article / back page controversy

Ian Wright have been praised by football fans on Twitter after hitting out at the English press for article / back page controversy.

The morning after England’s 1-0 defeat to Iceland, social media users took issue with a photo of Bukayo Saka being used so prominently in media coverage and in newspapers, despite him playing only 25 minutes as a substitute.

Many argue that the choice of player used for their back pages or featured image reflects racial bias within the English press, highlighting a pattern of disproportionate blame on black players.

The controversy has sparked discussions on racism and favoritism in sports, with some suggesting that Saka should consider switching national teams to Nigeria due to perceived racial bias in England’s media and football culture.

Ian Wright commented on this, saying: “Now more than ever let’s get behind & support these young people. We can all see what’s happening & who’s being set up to be the face of defeat. We are going to be gas lit with explanations & justifications, but those deciding who goes on the back pages know what they’re doing. Let’s keep our energy focused on giving these players pure love & support throughout the tournament.”

Darren Lewis of the Mirror tweeted: “Just because I work in the media it doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge the concern about Bukayo Saka being used as the face of England’s defeat and poor performance – despite other players performing worse – across a number of platforms last night.

“If anything it is even more my job. Especially when he was a) a substitute and b) one of the players targeted after England failed at the last Euros.

“It is a reminder that we need to think about EVERYTHING put into the public domain.

“And I will continue to speak openly – in public and in private – about it.

“The days of Black and Brown fans remaining silent on issues such as this are thankfully behind us.

“If supporters (of all races) felt his, Rashford and Sancho’s pain in 2021, we need to show we have learned from it this time around.”

SEE MORE: Gareth Southgate responds to England being booed off by fans after 1-0 defeat to Iceland

As mentioned, Ian Wright has been praised after hitting out at the English press for back page controversy…

@smit112: Well said. Disgusting they use Saka. Why aren’t they putting Southgate on the front?

@AfcKuno_: Thank you for standing up what’s right, Wrighty. I hope more ex-footballers and pundits joined in this fight against blatant racism.

@TenHagBall_: Well said Ian. ❤️👏

@AcademyScoop: Well said, thank you Ian.

@Cotto34: A genuine legend and the most positive, constructive person in modern media. And what a player you were

@UtdOptimist: Spot on Ian. This is past rivalries now and it’s inexcusable to target player in the pattern we all notice

@henryfims: Thanks for speaking up Wrighty.

@Sids30: We love you Wrighty and absolutely on the money ❤️

@N5AlexJT: About time it was said.

@frankfletcher: @IanWright0 spot on here, we should call this out for what it is and we should all stand with @BukayoSaka87 and all his teammates #kickitout

@_Steve_B_: Well said @TheSunFootball @TheSun @Telegraph @BBCSport need to take responsibility for their disgraceful actions. We all noticed it and it needs to be called out.

@GoonersN5: Saka, Saka, Saka, that’s all I see, the media using our star boy as a scapegoat! He only played 25 minutes and he’s on every page.

@TomHuelin1: The editors responsible for these decisions and picture selections need to be named and shamed. This ain’t good enough.

@BTuckerT37: This happens every time we are in a major tournament. Yet again our media place doubt on our players ability and they don’t encourage them. Fingers crossed we can get behind them and as a nation have something to celebrate ❤️

@luvohiostate: This is such garbage. They knew what they were doing by plastering Saka’s image on that story. We love you, Bukayo!

@Thomas_2791: The picture and headline combination in the S*n makes use of an unusual incident. The Telegraph and BBC have used a picture that sums up the mood after that result. The Star is horrible and makes no effort to hide the prejudice.

@MicahSaysWhat: Always the same. Meaningless game. Meaningless result. Everyone getting worked up. The next 4 weeks is what matters.

@MartinHender2: I’m not even shocked by this anymore 🤬

@ridleycrag1: After the vitriol Rashford, Saka & Sancho received after the last Euro final, some members of the press still think it’s ok to blame/target certain players for last nights result. Where are the photos of Kane or Foden who played longer than Saka? This is not acceptable!

@Kevtrav93: Absolute national treasure is big Ian Wright 👑

@FormbyFC: Well said @IanWright0. That Star Sport headline is bizarre. Should Saka miss a pen in the game England are eliminated, then we know what happens next. We’ve been led to believe Foden is the future of English football, so why hasn’t his image been used?

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