The American Football Federation (USSF) plans to remove a rule that prohibits players from kneeling during the national anthem, a spokesperson for the proceeding confirmed to AFP on Monday National Women's Team would like to be immediate and accompanied by an apology.
Earlier today, the ESPN sports channel reported that the president of the USSF, Cindy Parlow Cone, wanted the rule to be revoked at a meeting of the board of directors of the body scheduled for Tuesday.
This measure, which formally stipulates that players must "respect each other" during the national anthem, was introduced in 2017, just after the star of the national women's team Megan Rapinoe knelt during the "Star-Spangled Banner ”, During an international match in 2016. At the time, Rapinoe had put a knee on the ground in a surge of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former American football star then playing at the San Francisco 49ers, and who had initiated this protest movement against police violence against blacks.
"Apologize to our black players and supporters"
The national women's team reacted, calling on the Federation to “repeal the anthem policy” without delay: “We think the USSF should issue a declaration recognizing that this rule was wrong when it was adopted and presenting apologies to our black and partisan players. "
"In addition, we think the Federation should lay out its plans for how it will now support the message and the movement it tried to silence four years ago," add the double world champions. “It is everyone's responsibility. We could and should have done more in the past. We are determined to speak out against racist, hateful and unjust acts to effect change. The lives of black people matter, ”said the statement.
Putting a knee on the ground has become since the death of George Floyd on May 25 an emblematic gesture of contestation of racial injustice, but also of solidarity, expressed during the very numerous demonstrations which took place in the United States and in the world. these last ten days. Thus, joining the demonstrators, the police also knelt at rallies. In sports, soccer players did the same just before German championship games, as did the Liverpool team for a symbolic photo posted on social networks.
- Racism
- Police violence
- United States
- Football
- Sport
- World