The German FA will not be taking action against four Bundesliga players who displayed messages anti-racism messages over the weekend in response to the death of George Floyd.
German FA Not Opening Case Against Bundesliga Messages
What Happened?
Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho revealed a message on his undershirt reading “Justice for George Floyd” after scoring in their 6-1 win over Paderborn. Sancho was booked for the offence. Teammate Achraf Hakimi followed suit but received no punishment.
No explanation needed. pic.twitter.com/5JO1CCJexU
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) May 31, 2020
#BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/HX7JYZrR5l
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 31, 2020
Meanwhile, Marcus Thuram knelt after scoring for Borussia Monchengladbach in their 4-1 success against Union Berlin, while Schalke’s Weston McKennie, a USA international, wore an armband that said “Justice for George”.
Referee Felix Zwayer asked McKennie to remove the armband during the match.
DFB refer to The International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) laws of the game, which state: “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo. For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”
DFB Statement
Der #DFB-Kontrollausschuss wird keine Verfahren gegen Hakimi, Sancho, McKennie & Thuram einleiten. Diese Linie will das Gremium auch bei neuerlichen Anti-Rassismus-Aktionen anlässlich des Todes George Floyds an den kommenden Spieltagen beibehalten.
➡️ https://t.co/uWb2dspzuS pic.twitter.com/Tb7lh7BFZR
— DFB (Verband) (@DFB) June 3, 2020
A DFB statement said: “The committee also wants to maintain this line in the event of renewed anti-racism campaigns on the occasion of the violent death of George Floyd on the coming match days.”
DFB president Fritz Keller continued in the message: “I expressly welcome the far-sighted decision of the DFB Control Committee and am very happy about it.”
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