Joining others in condemning the brutality against black people, some famous names from the world of football have joined calls for justice for George Floyd, a black man who died in police action in Minnesota last week.
As anti-racism protests continued to rage in different parts of the US, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France national team star Kylian Mbappe on Saturday evening tweeted: “#JusticeForGeorge.”
The tweet was liked by, among others, the official account of world football governing body FIFA.
On the same day, Schalke’s American midfielder Weston McKennie wore a “Justice for George” armband during the 1-0 home loss to Werder Bremen in their Bundesliga clash.
“To be able to use my platform to bring attention to a problem that has been going on too long feels good!!! We have to stand up for what we believe in and I believe that it is time that we are heard! #justiceforgeorgefloyd #saynotoracism,” McKennie later wrote on Twitter.
Alex Morgan, one of the stars of USA’s back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2019, was among the first few footballers to react to the killing of Floyd, when she took to Twitter to call for ‘inclusivity from the top’.
“So sickened beyond words by the brutal police killing of George Floyd. When will all Americans be treated and respected equally regardless of race and gender?? We are yearning for true leadership and inclusivity from the top,” she tweeted on Friday.
Borussa Dortmund young star Jadon Sancho also paid tribute to George Floyd after scoring goal against Paderborn in Bundesliga .
England great Gary Linekar too offered his solidarity to the protests in the US. The former Tottenham, Everton and Barcelona forward recently quoted a tweet containing a video of a police assault on a black man and his 90-year-old grandmother in the US, saying, “Didn’t post the video of the murder of George Floyd as it was just too upsetting. This too, though, actually made me cry. It’s Unimaginable that people have to deal with this because of the colour of their skin. Abhorrent, unjust and evil.”