Lingard and Rashford, both of England’s football team, were seen in Dubai with disgraced rapper Wiley.
Wiley posted a photo of himself with Manchester United players Rashford and Lingard after a performance at a nightclub in Dubai. It is unknown when the photograph was taken.
Wiley, who has struggled to book shows in the UK since launching a series of anti-Semitic tirades on the internet, performed at Club Blu Dubia on Sunday.
The rapper can be seen playing in front of a large audience at the +44 event, which was hosted on the 32nd floor of the V Hotel, which is part of the Hilton hotel group.
On Instagram, he said of his performance: “Whoever secured me that Dubai booking deserves a round of applause. I merely wanted to express my gratitude because man has never been without a booking.
“Later, the rapper said that fellow British artist DJ Ironik was instrumental in getting him the gig.”
Thank you @officialdjironik for getting me a booking and big up these dons,” he captioned a selfie of himself with the players afterwards.
Wiley, a grime rapper, initially sparked anger in 2020 when he launched an antisemitic outburst on social media that lasted days. He called Jews “racists” and “cowards,” and questioned if it was antisemitic to assert “Jewish people have power.”
He called Jews “snakes” and advised “black people” to go to “war” with them.
Twitter users staged a 48-hour ‘walk out’ in protest of the company’s inability to move swiftly enough to ban the rapper. Wiley was eventually banned from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as being dropped by his record company and management, as a result of the tweets.
Jesse Lingard was one of a handful of players who took part in a campaign to increase antisemitism awareness in the same year.
He appeared in a video with other Premier League players and managers to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, urging supporters to ensure that bigotry and antisemitism are never tolerated in the United Kingdom.
The short video included chilling images of Nazi Germany, as well as requests from players to think about how the Nazis were able to develop because their philosophy was not challenged.
Marc Cave, director of the National Holocaust Centre and Museum, who collaborated with the Jewish News to create the film, said: “When Jesse joined us in our HMD2020 video, it was fantastic. Here we see Jesse standing with an outspoken anti-Semite.”
I challenge him, Marcus Rashford, and any other players who believe they understand racism to reconsider. Anti-Semitism is not a thing of the past. Now is the time.”Wiley has resurfaced on Instagram under the handle @Wileyrecordings, after his suspension from the site.
When speaking with the JC, Marcus Rashford commented: “I was shown a photograph that, in my opinion, could easily be misinterpreted given the circumstances.
I want to emphasize that I do not and will not tolerate discriminatory words or behavior directed against the Jewish community or any other group.
“I honestly feel that combating antisemitism in and outside of the game necessitates a higher degree of attention and should be an integral element of the game’s anti-racism stance.
“Rashford also said that he “absolutely” condemns Wiley’s anti-Semitic video diatribe, in which the rapper shouts, “Why did Hitler hate you?” “For naught?” It was brought to his notice when it was brought to his attention.
Rashford’s efforts to combat racism have been commended by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is why it’s “so disheartening to see him and Jesse Lingard hanging around with Wiley.”
“Mr Rashford’s meager non-apology fails to criticize Wiley or explain why he believed it was okay to take a picture with the rapper,” the spokeswoman said. Mr. Rashford should keep in mind that antisemitism is a kind of racism.”
“Footballers who profess to promote anti-racism should have nothing to do with a guy who spent more than 24 hours attacking Jews on social media until he was forcefully halted,” stated Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl.
She also praised Rashford’s reaffirmation of his anti-antisemitism stance in reaction to the picture.”We are pleased that Marcus Rashford has replied to this picture and restated his opposition to antisemitism, but we are disappointed that he has failed to explain why he believes this photo was misinterpreted.” Jesse Lingard, on the other hand, has to clarify his own viewpoint,” she stated.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Rashford later explained that he “wasn’t aware of comments that had been made when I got pulled into a photo opportunity. Comments that I absolutely condemn. I apologise for any upset caused. We just all happened to be in the same place at the same time.”
Jesse Lingard also condemned the photo saying: “I’ve been made aware of a photo circulating currently, that can easily be misconstrued. I want to make it clear that I do not condone any form of racism whatsoever!”
