Footballer Marcus Rashford has responded after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confused him for Rugby Player Maro Itoje.
Gavin Williamson's interview with the Evening Standard was published today and he says that he spoke with Rashford over Zoom.
However, Rashford's never spoken to Williamson, who actually spoke to rugby player Maro Itoje.
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Maro Itoje, 26, is an English professional rugby union player, who plays as a lock or as a blindside flanker for English Championship club Saracens and the England national team.
Williamson thought he'd spoke with the Manchester United forward and said: "We met over Zoom and he seemed incredibly engaged, compassionate and charming but then he had to shoot off. I didn't want to be the one that was holding him back from his training."
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Rashford took to Twitter to comment on the Evening Standard post.
He jokingly wrote: "Accent could have been a giveaway."
He clearly took the case of mistaken identity with a grain of salt, although, some users didn't see it that way.
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One user wrote: "There is no way that he isn't aware of your campaigning. He's being intentionally dismissive and offensive."
Another user wrote: "That he doesn't follow sports is one thing, but the fact that you're the person making sure school kids get access to dinners, is a whole other level of ignorance on his part.
"I'm glad you choose to see the funny side of this but jeez, it must be exhausting!"
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Whilst a third user added: "How genuinely stupid can somebody be."
A fourth user concluded: "That guy is a clown."
The Evening Standard interviewer wrote: "Williamson goes on to talk about how at one stage during the pandemic he was scouring the globe for laptops to give to children who were falling behind.
"Later Williamson's team tell me he actually met the rugby player Maro Itoje, who campaigned to bridge the digital divide, not Rashford.
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"Rashford's spokesperson confirms that he has never had any direct communication with Williamson, although the minister did have a call with Itjoe about equal access to education during the pandemic."
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "Towards the end of a wide-ranging interview in which I talked about both the laptops and school meals campaigns, I conflated the issues and made a genuine mistake.
"We corrected this with the journalist before publication of the story.
"I have huge respect for both Marcus Rashford and Maro Itoje who run effective and inspiring campaigns."
Topics: Marcus Rashford
