FA Promises A Common-sense Approach To The Anti-Discrimination Movement On The Ground

Liverpool players kneel in a circle on the pitch in tribute to George Floyd (Twitter @LFC)

JAKARTA - The FA promises to use a 'common sense approach when dealing with players who show support for movements such as Black Lives Matter during matches.

On Monday, June 1, FIFA issued a statement urging leagues around the world to exercise caution before punishing players for their behavior amid global outrage following George Floyd's death.

The message from the football governing body came after the German Football Association (DFB) said it would look into last weekend's incident to see if further sanctions against player protests were needed.

Borussia Dortmund player Jadon Sancho was shown a yellow card for celebrating a goal by displaying a T-shirt that read 'Justice for George Floyd', while Weston McKennie Schalke wore a belt with the same slogan and Marcus Thuram knelt down after scoring for Borussia Monchengladbach.

The incident followed news of Floyd, a black man who died after being strangled with the knee of a white policeman while detained in Minneapolis. This incident sparked widespread civil unrest in the United States.

Footballers in England including Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford have issued anti-racism calls in recent days and teams such as Liverpool and Chelsea have knelt down during training sessions.

The FA has now promised not to punish players for any protest on the pitch even if they break the rules of the game.

"The FA strongly condemns discrimination of any kind and has been trying to ensure that football in England is diverse and inclusive in recent years," said England's governing body, quoted by Soccerway, Wednesday, June 3.

The entire squad knelt in Anfield's center circle ahead of today's training session in a powerful show of support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.Unity is strength: https://t.co/2BN18U4jIY pic.twitter.com/oVE5RgNMmh

- Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) June 1, 2020

"Where any behavior or movement on the ground that may constitute a Laws of the Game violation is to be assessed, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with a sound approach and understanding of their context.

"The power of football can break down barriers across communities and we remain committed to removing all forms of discrimination from all games we love."

The Premier League, suspended in March due to the outbreak of COVID-19, will resume on 17 June.