Arsenal Legend Criticises England Players for Ignoring Wheelchair Mascot in ‘Sad’ Viral Moment
Theo Walcott, a legend of Arsenal, has criticised England’s players for “leaving” two mascots with dementia or Alzheimer’s before the Wales game.
There was a moving moment prior to last week’s England vs. Wales friendly at Wembley, when the game’s mascots were both men and women with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
The Three Lions won 3-0 against Wales, earning accolades for their performance. On Tuesday night, they defeated Latvia 5-0 to secure their spot in the World Cup next summer.
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Because of the massive fundraising efforts and increased awareness, the FA’s collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society has received a lot of appreciation.
Walcott, a former Arsenal player who was present to accept his legacy cap, has noted that the England vs. Wales game had a “sad” feel to it because the players “left” two mascots.
He stated on The Overlap US, “I’m more of a positive person, but let me start with a negative because being at the Wales game naturally meant that it was a friendly, and you never know what kind of game you’re going to get.”
I felt that getting my legacy cap was a truly lovely occasion. A movie about Alzheimer’s and dementia was shown in the game to raise awareness of these conditions, which affect many people. “They had a lovely moment where the mascots appeared, which was incredible.
Older people came out, and the players escorted them away. Fantastic moment. But I did observe that they left two of them, one of them was in a wheelchair, during the playing of the national anthems.
“In essence, they all emerged, huddled together, and the mascots were all together when the Welsh sang their national anthem.” The depressing part about England and it hasn’t been observed or known.
Since they focus on the performance, which is acceptable, people haven’t actually seen it. But it truly irritates me when I see players who are going into something without any awareness.
Are they truly prepared for what lies ahead? Are the charities even known to them? The aggravating thing is that players don’t often fully get what they’re doing. They ought to be aware since it’s critical to identify this illness.
Additionally, Walcott has urged the players of England to acknowledge their “responsibility,” saying that this “sad moment” demonstrates “the mindset.”
“I dislike picking out certain players. But that only illustrates the mentality in which individuals and athletes disregard the individual,” Walcott added.
“Seeing the man in the wheelchair, bless him, who was at the 1966 World Cup final and Sir Geoff Hurst made the video, to inform this man that he would be the mascot and that he is obviously in bits, was such an interesting and sad moment.”
The England players huddled together after he went during the playing of the national anthem, which was difficult to watch because none of the men were attempting to assist.
“I don’t want to focus on that, but I think it’s crucial to acknowledge that, even though you play football, you still have some duty for taking care of the mascots.
“I think the one thing that irritated me about the entire England journey was that it doesn’t matter if they are children or older.”
You must acknowledge that the families have witnessed all of this and will recall it. When you think about it, the sad reality is that the mascot won’t in that particular situation.
“I don’t want to think about it too much, but it was a very depressing sight. In my opinion, the FA ought to take a serious look at themselves.
“The FA has been outstanding, but a cause like this… It was interesting, even though nobody saw it clearly.
