LONDON (AP) British police opened investigations Monday into the racist abuse of three Black players who missed penalties in Englands shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.

The Metropolitan Police condemned the unacceptable abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Sako, and said they will be investigating the offensive and racist social media posts published soon after Italy won Sundays shootout 3-2 after the match ended 1-1.

The English Football Association said it was appalled by the disgusting behavior, adding that social media companies should take action to make their platforms free from this abhorrent abuse.

We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible, the FA said. We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences.

All three players targeted are part of a young England squad that has been widely praised for its diversity and social conscience. Rashford, for one, has been at the forefront of a campaign against child poverty, which convinced the British government to restore free lunches for thousands of poor children amid the coronavirus pandemic.