The first European Championship match of the Red Devils on the field of Russia started on a false note. Literally then. Because when the Belgians knelt just before kick-off in protest against racism and solidarity with Black Lives Matter, they were whistled en masse by the 30,000 Russian fans in Saint Petersburg. Striking: not a single Russian player knelt before kick-off. The Netherlands and Croatia, among others, have already announced that they will not kneel before the kick-off of their European Championship match, England will.
UEFA announced on Sunday that it supported the protest against racism by the Red Devils. UEFA also gives referees absolute freedom to participate in the promotion. The Spanish ref Antonio Mateu Lahoz did the same on Saturday.
“Any player or official may get down on one knee before the match,” UEFA said. The European umbrella association condemned the behavior of the Russian fans. “We urge spectators to show respect for players who get down on one knee. As an organisation, we have a policy of zero tolerance against racism.”
Before the European Championship, there was already a fuss in England about players kneeling before the matches. The English players were whistled by their own fans for their friendly against Romania last week.
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