Just as they did in the opening match of the World Cup, in the 6-2 defeat of Iran, the England players knelt on the field before the duel this Friday (25th) against the United States, at the Al Bayt stadium, in Al Khor.
The team has manifested itself in this way since the murder of George Floyd in June 2020 in the USA. The death of the black man, asphyxiated by police agents, triggered a series of protests around the world, under the banner of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
In England, teams also hold protests before Premier League games, as do English athletes from other sports, such as F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
In March of this year, the English team received a report with accusations of abuse and disrespect committed against women, the LGBTQIA+ community and immigrant workers in the host country of the World Cup. At the time, defensive midfielder Jordan Henderson, vice-captain of the squad, said the situation was “horrendous”.
From then on, the English team has already started to draw up plans for the protests that would take place during the tournament. One of them, however, ended up being vetoed by FIFA.
Captain Harry Kane was expressly prohibited by the entity from wearing a rainbow armband with the slogan “One Love”, in support of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The determination took place after a meeting between representatives of Fifa and the English team, according to The Telegraph.
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