Conversative MP Natalie Elphicke said Marcus Rashford should have spent "less time playing politics" after he missed a penalty in England's shoot-out defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
Rashford and Jadon Sancho were both brought on for the final minute of extra time with penalties just around the corner.
But the decision from Gareth Southgate didn't quite work out as the pair missed from 12 yards, along with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, as England suffered more penalty heartache in a major tournament.
All three were subjected to vile racist abuse on social media after the game and Rashford's mural in Manchester was vandalised.
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Rashford, who replaced Kyle Walker, took England's third spot-kick and hit the post after sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way.
And Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal, sent a WhatsApp message about Rashford to a Tory MP group chat following the miss.
GBNews, via the Politics For All Twitter account, shared the message, which read: "They lost - would it ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics."
Elphicke has since apologised for her conduct, saying: "Last night I shared the frustration and heartbreak of millions of other England fans. "
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"I regret messaging privately a rash reaction about Marcus Rashford's missed penalty and apologise to him for any suggestion that he is not fully focused on his football."
Last year, the Manchester United star successfully challenged the government and forced a u-turn on the decision regarding free school meals not being available to underprivileged children during holidays.
As well as visiting food banks, Rashford penned a lengthy letter to the government and encouraged people to tag their local MPs in order to raise as much awareness as possible.
His monumental campaign resulted in a phone call form Boris Johnson and an extra £120 million being set aside for starving children.
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Rashford, who required free school meal vouchers when he was a youngster, continues to fight to end child poverty and received an MBE for the way in which he has used platform to bring about change.
The leaked message from Elphicke contradicts her tweet praising the England team for reaching a first final in 55 years.
"Last night I shared the frustration and heartbreak of millions of England fans," she wrote.
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"The team gave their all. Congratulations and onwards to the World Cup!"
After the game, Southgate accepted full responsibility for the penalty misses and says the decision in regards to the order was down to player performance in training.
"I chose the guys to take the kicks," the England boss said post-match, as per The Guardian.
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"I told the players that nobody is on their own in that situation. We win and lose together as a team. They have been tight throughout and that's how it needs to stay. It is my decision to give him [Saka] that penalty. That is totally my responsibility. It is not him or Marcus or Jadon. We worked through them in training. That is the order we came to.
"What they have to know is none of them are on their own. We win and lose as a team. Penalties are my call. We worked in training.
"It's not down to the players. Tonight it hasn't gone for us. We know they were the best takers we had left on the pitch. Of course it's going to be heartbreaking for the boys but they are not to blame for that."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football, Euro 2020, England, Marcus Rashford, Italy
