Marcus Rashford has reinforced his opposition to antisemitism after being pictured with controversial rapper Wiley.
A photograph has emerged of the England international and his Manchester United team-mate Jesse Lingard alongside the grime artist, who sparked outrage in 2020 with a series of inflammatory antisemitic posts on social media.
Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford with rapper Wiley in Dubai 📸 pic.twitter.com/16WImrguFP
— utdreport (@utdreport) January 24, 2022
It is reported the picture was taken on Sunday in Dubai, where Wiley has been performing and a number of footballers are currently taking a winter break.
Rashford tweeted on Tuesday: “This picture has been brought to my attention which I understand now, given context, could easily be misconstrued.
“I would like to reinforce that I do not and will not condone discriminative language or behaviour of any kind aimed at the Jewish community or any other community.
This picture has been brought to my attention which I understand now, given context, could easily be misconstrued. I would like to reinforce that I do not and will not condone discriminative language or behaviour of any kind aimed at the Jewish community or any other community.
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) January 25, 2022
“I truly believe that tackling antisemitism in and outside of the game requires a greater level of attention and should very much form part of the game’s anti-racism stance.”
Rashford has previously spoken out against racism and was widely hailed for his response last year after becoming a target for abuse following his missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final.
He has also been praised for his activism, most notably his campaign against child food poverty, and was made an MBE last year.
Lingard has also made a statement on the matter.
I’ve been made aware of a photo circulating currently, that can easily be misconstrued. I want to make it clear that I do not condone any form of racism whatsoever!
— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) January 25, 2022
He wrote on Twitter: “I’ve been made aware of a photo circulating currently, that can easily be misconstrued. I want to make it clear that I do not condone any form of racism whatsoever!”
Wiley was dropped by his management company after his outburst two years ago and had a number of his social media accounts closed down.
