EE gave their customers free data to watch England take on Italy and the government relaxed licensing laws to allow pubs to stay open till 11:45pm. One would be mistaken for thinking that Yuletide season had come round early this year.

As the minutes ticked by and the game went to overtime and penalties, euphoria gave way to desolation.

The turn of events following the EURO final has cast a shadow over the entire tournament. The aftermath of the final saw English fans beat up Italian fans at Wembley, drunk fans trash Leicester Square, angry fans vandalise Italian restaurants and racist fans troll Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka for their missed penalty kicks. The Football Association, Prince William and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have unanimously condemned the racial abuse hurled at the three courageous players.

Once again, the flames of racism have been stoked, threatening to tear communities apart. As the popular saying goes In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist we must be anti-racist, and the people of Withington have embodied this by standing in solidatry with Marcus Rashford. His defaced mural is now plastered with hearts and letters of encouragement, leaving him overwhelmed, thankful and lost for words.

In a heartfelt message to the Christian community, Premier Radio CEO Peter Kerridge said From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible teaches us that we are all made in Gods image and we are to love our neighbour. Were not perfect but we are trying to make a change. We have to. We are committed to encouraging the whole Christian community to repent and speak out against injustice, and to pray for those who have to endure abuse because of the colour of their skin. This is something we have collectively failed to do for too long. The history books will tell us that England lost the Euro 2020 final. But its aftermath provides us with an opportunity to create a new society where love wins.

Written by Akosua DF, Premier Gospel Presenter

Out of all the sports played in England, football is the one that unites us. The sheer pride and excitement over Englands progression to the EURO finals was almost palpable and this time, Its coming home was sung with deep conviction.