Euros friendlies on Teesside marred as some fans once again boo players taking the knee

England's success during the Euro 2020 warm-ups has once again been overshadowed by some fans booing their own players for taking part in an anti-racism act.

England beat Romania in the final friendly on Teesside - but it wasn't the match action stealing the headlines.

The sound of boos from some of the crowd echoed around the Riverside Stadium as England players took the knee, to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Whilst Middlesbrough football club played host to the Euros warm-up matches, the 10,000 fans allowed inside were from all over the country.

Despite England's win at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, the negative response from some fans was disappointing for England Manager Gareth Southgate.

He was speaking after England vs Austria on Wednesday - the first game in front of fans in 18 months - which was marred by a pocket of the crowd who jeered players taking the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Prior to the second warm-up game, the former Boro boss said his side was determined “more than ever” to take the knee.

Gareth Southgate: “The first thing is we are collectively really disappointed it happened.

“Some people decide to boo – I think those people should put themselves in the shoes of those young players and how that must feel, and if that was their children, how would they feel about their kids being in that sort of situation."

The former Boro boss added: “We feel more than ever determined to take the knee through this tournament. We accept there might be an adverse reaction, and we’re just going to ignore that and move forward."

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Marcus Rashford - who captained the side for the warm-up game - insisted his side believe taking the knee is the right thing to do, despite boos coming from some home supporters ahead of the match.

“It is something we cannot control,” he said on ITV.

Drawing England's time on Teesside to a close, the team's official social media page thanked Middlesbrough FC for supporting them during the friendlies.

The squad took full advantage of Boro's training facilities at Rockliffe Hall - before heading to the Riverside for games.

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