Knees in front of England against Germany: Stars set the standard

The gesture didn’t come as a surprise, but it was still special: before the kick-off of the round of 16 of the European Championships at Wembley Stadium England and Germany german knelt down national football team The hosts settled together with England. Around 45,000 spectators at the London grounds accepted the action on Tuesday evening, mostly to applause. Occasionally there was a whisper.

For the first time, German players took a knee, setting an example in the fight against racism. National coach Joachim Low also swung into action and took a knee seconds before kick-off. It was already known that the team would show solidarity with the British. “We stand for tolerance and against discrimination of any kind and want to show solidarity with the England national team,” said DFB goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

England captain Harry Kane also wears a rainbow armband

the British say that anti-racism gestureWhich was made famous for weeks by the American Football League NFL and quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In his homeland, the gesture of the national team is a matter of controversy. Initially, English players were banished by some fans at the European Championship. Scotland had shown solidarity with England in the group stage before round 16 against Germany. Other teams also took a knee during the European Championship. According to media reports, Italy, who reached the quarter-finals, wants to join the protest against Belgium and also wants to kneel with jealousy.

Round of 16 rivals hinted at another common Tuesday. England captain Harry Kane wore a rainbow armband similar to that of Manuel Neuer. In the first group game against France, the DFB captain made a statement for diversity and equality, meanwhile UEFA was called to the scene. He checked the bandage but did not check further. “It’s a strong sign,” Neuer said. (take)

More articles in this category can be found here: EM