London (AFP)
Back after a 100-day hiatus, the Premier League has resumed using its global audience to spread the strong image of its players, coaches and referees kneeling against racism, the symbol of English football which has become a powerful platform for demands. social.
Paralyzed for three months by the pandemic of Covid-19, the English Championship restarted late Wednesday afternoon with Aston Villa - Sheffield United, one of the two late games of the 28th day on display of this day of recovery.
But the image that will remain of this match behind closed doors, concluded on a goalless draw in a Villa Park stadium sounding hollow in the absence of spectators, will not be a spectacular action or a fact of play.
What will be remembered are the knees on the ground, not only of the players but also of the referees, coaches and substitutes, in sign of anti-racist protest and tribute to George Floyd, a black American man in his 40s who was suffocated by his knee. '' a policeman during a control on May 25 in Minneapolis (United States).
- "Black Lives Matter" registration -
This staging was repeated a few hours later before the start of the second late game between Manchester City and Arsenal (3-0).
"The Premier League has taken a huge step forward in allowing something like this to happen," said Raheem Sterling, an English Jamaican international from Manchester City and a longtime supporter of racism.
"This shows that we are going in the right direction," said the Citizens striker.
Sterling said in an interview with Sky Sport on Tuesday that it was "time to act" against racism.
Under pressure, the Premier League decided that the players would wear during the two matches on Tuesday evening, and also those of the 30th day on the program this weekend, the inscription "Black Lives Matter" ("The life of blacks counts ") on the back of their jersey, in place of the players' names.
- "The players use their voice" -
"Now that (the Premier League) has given them (the players) so much power, it can never go back and show which side of the story it wanted to be," said former Wright Ian Wright attacker from Arsenal and the England team.
Another renowned English footballer, Marcus Rashford, of Manchester United, also took advantage of his image and his social position to defend another cause.
He protested Tuesday, in a column to the conservative daily The Times, against the government's choice to cut during the summer school holidays a program allowing poor families to receive food vouchers for 15 pounds (16.70 euros ) per child per week.
Under pressure from this very popular footballer, Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to back down.
"It is becoming more normal for people to speak out on subjects they believe in, and I think it's just good for the future," said Sterling, 22-year-old striker from St. Kitts and -Nevis, small state of the Antilles.
"Today's players use their voices for social causes, at the risk of being asked to just play football," he said.
But one does not necessarily go without the other: on the ground, Sterling is also talking about him, as his goal proves, that of the opener for Manchester City against the Gunners on Wednesday evening.
© 2020 AFP