Premier League clubs will decide this week whether to take a knee when the season resumes, in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
The Daily Mail reports that officials from all 20 top-flight clubs will meet virtually this week, with discussions about how to honour those who have lost their lives through the Covid-19 pandemic also on the agenda.
That’s around 400,000 people worldwide; over 40,000 have been in the UK.
Several German clubs have taken a knee since the resumption of the Bundesliga season, in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter protests which have been reenergised by the killing of George Floyd late last month.
Some top-flight clubs have also posted their own tributes and statements on social media in support of the cause, but it seems there is a desire for a grand collective gesture to mark the Premier League’s return on June 17th.
I’m not sure whether this should be a collective decision or down to each individual club and/or player. That’s not to say anybody who doesn’t kneel is racist or complicit in prejudice, but professional athletes may rightly feel they do not have an obligation to politicise their fame. Just because I would kneel in that scenario doesn’t mean I would expect everybody else to.
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Oh dear ! Oh very dear me. WOKE footballers to add to the list.
Sadly, in a world increasingly devoid of nuance and the time for an understanding discussion, by not standing you’ll already be politicising your fame. People won’t let you forget it.