TITLE:
Public Relations Strategies and Image Repair in Football: A Case Study of Stakeholder Responses to the Racist Abuse of Bukayo Saka
AUTHORS:
Ronan Sands
KEYWORDS:
Image Repair Theory, Racism, Bukayo Saka, Institutional Response, Crisis Communication, Authenticity, Reputational Risk, Player Agency, Social Media, Strategic Communication, Moral Leadership, Commercial Logic
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Journalism and Communication,
Vol.14 No.3,
August
13,
2026
ABSTRACT: This dissertation examines how major institutions in English football dealt with the racist abuse aimed at Bukayo Saka after the UEFA Euro 2020 final. It analyses how organisations like Arsenal FC, the English FA, and the UK government handled this reputational crisis from a public relations standpoint. The effectiveness of their responses is examined using Image Repair Theory, drawing on insights from seven semi-structured interviews with experts in PR, media, sponsorship, and sports. The findings show that institutional responses were often cautious and reactive, influenced by concerns over reputational risk rather than strong moral leadership. Many responses relied on the player’s own messages to seem authentic. The analysis places these communication strategies within the commercial and global context of modern football, where racism is both a social issue and an economic problem. Institutional silence, delays, and symbolic gestures appear to be tactics aimed at protecting commercial interests and managing stakeholder expectations. The study concludes that effective crisis communication in such situations needs consistency, speed, and a commitment to ethics that values real leadership over maintaining a reputation.