June 4 – Bundesliga players who staged protests during matches last weekend following the death of George Floyd in the United States will not be punished, the German Football Federation have confirmed.
In a statement, the DFB said “no action” would be taken against Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi, Schalke’s US midfielder Weston McKennie and Borussia Moenchengladbach’s French forward Marcus Thuram for “their symbols of solidarity”.
“This line will also be taken should further players make demonstrations on racism and the death of Floyd over the course of upcoming matchdays,” the DFB added after Fifa president Gianni Infantino called on countries to applaud any players showing solidarity with the protest movement rather than punish them.
After scoring in Dortmund’s win at Paderborn on Sunday Sancho lifted his shirt to reveal the message “Justice for George Floyd”. He was booked, but for lifting his shirt over his head rather than for the message.
Hakimi and McKennie expressed similar calls for justice, while Frenchman Thuram, the son of World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, took a knee in memory of Floyd.
The game’s lawmakers, the International FA Board, bans players from showing “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”.
However, pointing to its own anti-racism campaigns, FIFA intimated before Infantino’s comments that no action should necessarily be taken against Sancho, Hakimi or McKennie.
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