Against Racism, The English League Change Player Name With Black Lives Matter

Arsenal (instagram @premierleague)

JAKARTA - The Premier League supports the calls of its players who want to campaign for the anti-racism movement. They allow the players to put special writing on the back of the jersey.

There will be a Black Lives Matter logo attached to each player's jersey. There is also a special badge of thanks for the NHS, the UK health care service.

"The Premier League supports the players' wish to change their names with 'Lives Matter' on the back of their shirts for the first 12 games of the 2019/20 season which restarted," a statement said as quoted by MARCA.

"The Black Lives Matter logo will also be featured on the jersey for the remainder of the season, along with a bagde to thank the NHS for their efforts during the COVID-19 crisis."

In addition, the Premier League will also support players who bend their knees before or during matches in protest against any acts of discrimination.

"The Premier League believes there is no room for racism, anywhere," concluded the statement.

A few days ago, US Soccer lifted the ban on kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. They admitted they were wrong to ban Megan Rapinoe from doing that four years ago.

At that time, Rapinoe fell to his knees before the women's team match against Thailand. He followed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who did it in protest against police brutality and racial injustice.

Kaepernick has been heavily criticized by president Donald Trump for kneeling and the US Soccer board of directors passed a law in 2017 requiring its players to 'defend' The Star-Spangled Banner before games.

However, given that there is a renewed focus on issues that Kaepernick protested after George Floyd's death last month, a team of US women are calling for the ban to be removed.

"US Soccer supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and we support the fight against racial injustice," the federation said in a statement.

"The US Soccer Board voted yesterday afternoon to overhaul the 604-1 Policy, which requires our players to stand during the national anthem