For weeks, athletes across the United States have used their platforms to speak out against racial inequality and police brutality during the sports hiatus.
And those demonstrations have made their way across the pond.
The English Premiere League on Wednesday returned to play after more than a four month pause, featuring games between Aston Villa- Sheffield United as well as Manchester City-Arsenal. Players from all four teams showed solidarity with the movement sweeping North America and other parts of the world.
Instead of wearing jerseys with their names on the back, every kit read “Black Lives Matter” above their number. And with the starting whistle kicking off both fixtures, everyone on the field — including the referees — kneeled down for a few moments.
Check out the scene below.
Aston Villa & Sheffield United players taking a knee when the whistle blows ? pic.twitter.com/KozTypaVLv
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 17, 2020
Extremely powerful! ? pic.twitter.com/ALIbdfcHTg
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) June 17, 2020
"A message seen all around the world." ?
Manchester City and Arsenal players take a knee before kick-off to show support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. ? pic.twitter.com/IJcoMM9IRL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 17, 2020
It really is incredible. pic.twitter.com/Wu96Xdbkp5
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 17, 2020
Of course, there were no fans in the stands to watch this go down, but millions saw the powerful demonstration while tuning in.
