Names on the jerseys of Premier League players will be replaced with ‘ Black lives matter’ for the starting 3 months as action resumes coming week after a 3 month hault. League is also set to support any player who chooses to ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.
German Bundesliga which restarted last month has also witnessed players showing solidarity with people protesting the death of George Floyd.”We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice,” read a statement.
A joint message was let out by all the 20 Premier League clubs ensuring their commitment towards a global society of inclusion, respect and equality, regardless of their colour or creed. A Black Lives Matter badge will also feature on all playing jerseys for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking the NHS staff for their pivotal role in handling the pandemic.
Many Premier league squads have already ‘taken a knee’ during training with images shared on social media, and an anti-racism charity ‘Kick It Out’ had asked that players to feel free to do the same on matchdays.The Football Association on their social media mentioned that it will take a “common sense approach” to such protests.
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4 players, including Borussia Dortmund’s winger Jadon Sancho, were investigated by Bundesliga for their support for anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of the murder of 46-year-old Floyd in police custody in the United States last month. Although, none of the 4 players were punished in any way, moreover Bundesliga clarified that they’ll allow displays of such actions in the coming weeks as well.
The Premier League is set to resume action behind closed doors & displaying an anti racism slogan on all the jerseys is a big step towards empathizing with millions of activists through-out the world who have come forward vigorously in the past month.
Ex- England and Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas was quoted saying ‘It’s a great start, but I then want to see something tangible’. He further said that he’d like to see this display continue after the initially assigned 3 months.