June 10 – Major League Soccer has re-iterated its support for players’ peacefully protesting by taking a knee during the National Anthem prior to matches.
The decision came after the US Soccer Federation announced that they were considering lifting their own rules which bar the gesture.
“While fostering an environment of diversity, equality and inclusion, Major League Soccer stands by the ideals of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest that are the hallmarks of the United States and Canada,” a statement said.
“If players or staff decide to stand, kneel or otherwise exercise their right to peaceful protest during the playing of the National Anthems before league games, we support them,”
Taking a knee was started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protesting police brutality in 2016 and was followed by United States women’s soccer captain Megan Rapinoe.
The gesture, opposed by Donald Trump, has returned to the fore in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and has been practised by footballers across the globe.
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