Rejecting Racism, Hibernian Shows Class Action By Rewarding Arsenal 'Saka 7' Jersey

JAKARTA - Arsenal faces Hibernian in a pre-season match at Easter Road, Edinburgh, Tuesday, July 13 evening. Before the match, the Scottish club made a commendable message addressed to Buklayo Saka, the young star of the Gunners.

Following the racist abuse Saka received on Sunday night for missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy, Hibernian placed the club jersey with the words 'Saka 7' next to the Arsenal jersey.

The north London club later said on its official Twitter page: "Solidarity. (handshake emoji) @HibernianFC)," followed by a picture of the two shirts side by side. Then, Arsenal fans gave praise to their opponent.

Saka, as well as England team-mates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, were subjected to racial abuse as the Three Lions lost their first final in 55 years.

Many parties condemned the racism by these irresponsible parties, including Arsenal who released a statement on Monday morning.

"Last night, we saw Bukayo Saka reach the final of Euro 2020 at the age of 19," read a statement on the Gunners' official website.

“Bukayo has been with us since he was seven years old and the whole club is very proud to see him represent England throughout the tournament. You can feel it right across from the club.

“Last night we witnessed the leadership and character we have always known and loved at Bukayo.

“However, this feeling of pride quickly turned to sadness at the racist comments directed at our young players on his social media platforms after the final whistle.

"Once again, we are sad to say that we condemn the racism of some black players."

The Gunner stressed that such disgrace must not continue and that social media platforms and the authorities must act to ensure the disgusting harassment their players experience on a daily basis stops.

"Our message to Bukayo is: keep your heads up, we are very proud of you and we can't wait to welcome you back to Arsenal soon."

The match between Hibernian versus Arsenal ended in a 2-1 victory for the hosts through goals scored by Martin Boyle (21) and Daniel MacKay (69). Meanwhile, Arsenal scored a consolation goal by Emile Smith Rowe in the 82nd minute