Premier League drops Black Lives Matter from players’ shirts

Premier League drops Black Lives Matter from players' shirts thumbnail

Premier League players will no longer have the Black Lives Matter slogan on their shirts.

Instead, shirts will feature a patch with the league’s own anti-racism campaign, No Room for Racism, when the competition gets underway again over the weekend.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) was added to kits when the season re-started in the summer, following the global anti-racism protests sparked by the US killing of George Floyd in May.

Club captains were asked about the change to kits during a conference call on Thursday.







August: Former PL star now involved in US MLS boycott

Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, said: “We, our clubs, players and match officials have a long-standing commitment to tackling discrimination.

“Players rightly have a strong voice on this matter, which we saw last season. We have continued to talk and listen to players on this issue and will support them as well as continuing to emphasise the Premier League’s position against racism.

“Discrimination in any form, anywhere, is wholly unacceptable and No Room for Racism makes our zero-tolerance stance clear.”







Documentary: 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds

Mr Masters continued: “We will not stand still on this important issue and we will continue to work with our clubs, players and partners to address all prejudiced behaviour.”

The BLM movement has faced controversy over the summer, over its calls to defund the police and claims of antisemitism.

Former Stoke City player Karl Henry distanced himself from the movement after the league restarted in June, tweeting: “I think the majority of the UK have now had enough of that organisation.

“A new inclusive and politically-neutral anti-racism movement to follow and get behind is much needed. Black people’s lives matter!”

I think the majority of the UK have now had enough of that organisation.

A new inclusive and politically-neutral anti-racism movement to follow and get behind is much needed.

Black people’s lives matter! ✊?

The divisive #BlackLivesMatter organisation, however, DOES NOT! https://t.co/ekdjfvw5Dx

— Karl Henry (@karlhenry08) June 29, 2020

Conservative MP Ben Bradley had also called on the Premier League to remove BLM from shirts, saying that the movement was sowing division over the issue of racism.

On 30 June, the league said it did “not endorse any political organisation or movement, nor support any group that calls for violence or condones illegal activity.”

It added: “We are aware of the risk posed by groups that seek to hijack popular causes and campaigns to promote their own political views. These actions are entirely unwelcome and are rejected by the Premier League and all other professional football bodies, and they underline the importance of our sport coming together to declare a very clear position against prejudice.”

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

The Premier League has said it will support players who wish to take a knee before games, while the FA said it will take a “common sense” approach to how it treats on-field shows of support.

A dedicated service has been launched by the Premier League to allow players, coaches and their families to report abuse they face online. Those incidents will be reported to social media sites and action will be taken where appropriate.

There is also a coach placement scheme to improve diversity within football.