Gareth Southgate, his players, the FA and several fan groups have made it clear that taking the knee is not political. Southgate has repeatedly explained the reasoning behind the team’s position; for equality, inclusiveness and against racial injustice.
Some people in the stadium mocked the gesture during England’s warm-up matches for the tournament and although it was eventually drowned out by majority applause, the boos threaten to become a talking point for a good while. part of the tournament itself.
Former Sheffield Wednesday defender Viv Anderson, England’s first black player, believes those who opposed the booed minority have done the right thing.
“The more people stand up and applaud the more they drown them and hopefully the message gets to these people – that’s just not acceptable in 2021,” he told the PA News Agency. .
“You would think people would go back to the stadiums and watch live sport again, they would jump at the chance, but it turns out they want to boo their own players for taking the knee, I find that to the least weird.
“They should be there to try to encourage the players to perform well and encourage them to win the football game that they have been starved of for many months. I just don’t understand it.
“My take is that taking the knee is a powerful statement. It’s a big tournament and people will be watching it all over the world and if it’s a person saying, “Why are they kneeling?” and then find out the real reasons why they are doing this, hope it helps other people in the future.
“I hope they educate a few more people and take into account what they’re trying to achieve. “
Anderson made 30 appearances for England in 10 years from 1978 to 1988, scoring two goals.
He joined Wednesday in the 1990/91 season under Ron Atkinson and was promoted to the Premier League a few months before enjoying their flurry of appearances at Wembley two years later.
And he explained the pride he felt in becoming the first black man to shoot the Three Lions.
“I loved playing for England,” he said. “I loved putting on the shirt and I’m a big royalist anyway, so every time I’ve been called up I’ve jumped at the chance to play for my country,” he said.
“To be the first to everything is an incredible achievement. For me, being the first full black international (England) is a great honor and even today I go to London and people remember my debut.
“I still remember (former Manchester United team-mate) Norman Whiteside, he’s still the youngest player to score in the World Cup, younger than Pelé, and he said, ‘My legacy will be broken one day; yours will never be beaten which is great.
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Source: www.thestar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-11 17:31:19
