The painting was vandalized with the words "shite in a bucket, bastard", "fuck Sancho", and "fuck Saka" after those players and Rashford failed to score from penalties for England in the UEFA Euro 2020 Final defeat to Italy. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, described the mural defacement as a "despicable, shameful act". Ed Wellard, co-founder of Withington Walls, worked to cover the profanity immediately; residents created a collage of supportive messages, flags, and hearts across the artwork, and Akse restored the mural. On 16 July, Manchester City Council announced plans to preserve the items left at the mural following the vandalism. A representative of the council described the public's response as a "Manchester moment we will all remember and should not forget", and BT created a virtual replication of the messages named the "Wall of Hope".