Lewis Hamilton calls out media for using Bukayo Saka’s image as face of England’s defeat

Lewis Hamilton recently came to the defence of Bukayo Saka, expressing his support for the England winger amid a wave of criticism aimed at the Arsenal star.

In their final game before the start of the Euros, England faced off against Iceland in a game in which The Three Lions were expected to cruise.

But Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat courtesy of a Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson strike in the 12th minute on Friday, June 7.

After the defeat, several British publications wrote scathing reviews about the England team, using Saka’s image as the face of the loss despite the Arsenal man coming in as a substitute in the second half.

The trend has since caused an outrage on social media, with sections of fans accusing the media of scapegoating Saka, with Hamilton extending support towards the winger.

The Mercedes driver shared a post from Versus’ media page on his Instagram with a message condemning racial discrimination against some English players.

"We need to hold the English media accountable for systemically vilifying black players. The constant scapegoating of black players needs to stop. This endemic racial discrimination has no place in football, yet countless news outlets suggest otherwise.⁣.." the F1 legend’s message read.

Saka has fallen victim to criticism from his own fans, and it all peaked in 2020 when he missed a crucial penalty for England at the Euros.

After the Three Lions lost to Italy, the trio of Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were subjected to abuse online.

Interestingly, this is not the first time Hamilton has lent his voice to fight some vices in the world of sport.

According to Essentially Sports, the 39-year-old also publicly stood up for Vinicius Junior when the Brazilian was subjected to racism in the La Liga.