Mönchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram, son of 1998 French world champion Lilian Thuram, knelt down on Sunday to celebrate a goal, obviously in tribute to George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, who died after his arrest on Monday in Minneapolis. Just after the match, the German club posted a photo of their player, kneeling on the ground and looking down, on Twitter, with the caption in English: "No explanation needed" .
No explanation needed. pic.twitter.com/5JO1CCJexU
- Gladbach (@borussia_en) May 31, 2020The knee on the ground, a gesture popularized by the American footballer Colin Kaepernick
This gesture had been popularized by the player of NFL (American Football League) Colin Kaepernick, become a spokesperson for the protests in the United States against police violence, in particular against the colored minorities. Marcus Thuram, 22, is the son of Lilian Thuram, an idol of French football in the late 1990s, now active in France in the fight against racism and discrimination. He scored twice on Sunday in his team's 4-1 victory over Union Berlin on the 29th day of the German Championship. It was after his first goal that he paid homage to George Floyd.
Another Bundesliga player, Weston McKennie of Schalke 04 club, sported a Justice for George armband on Saturday.
A global emotion
A video of George Floyd's arrest, filmed by passers-by, has gone viral since Monday. It shows a white policeman in the city of Minneapolis tackle the ground George Floyd, 46, and keep his knee on his neck for long minutes, while the latter says he can no longer breathe.
His death following this arrest has led in recent days to demonstrations and riots in the city but also in the rest of the United States, even outside the White House. The emotion crossed the American borders, and calls to make justice to George Floyd multiplied on the social networks in several countries. Other American athletes, such as tennis player Coco Gauff, reacted to the death of Floyd. "Am I next?" she asked herself in a video on the TikTok social network.