Gareth Southgate was furious with a handful of fans jeering at the players who knelt before England vs Austria. He considered the fan did not understand the message of the gesture.
England managed to beat Austria 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium in a test match ahead of the 2020 European Cup, Thursday (3/6/2021) early morning WIB. The single winning goal for the Tiga Singa Team was born from Bukayo Saka in the 56th minute.
Shortly before this match started, players from both countries knelt down as a form of anti-racist campaign. However, the actions of these players actually got ridicule from a handful of spectators who were present at Riverside Stadium.
The England vs Austria duel itself was watched live by 7,000 fans who came to the stadium. This is the first time the England national team has played at home again since the match against Kosovo in November 2019.
The crowd’s jeers made England coach Gareth Southgate furious. He thought it should not happen.
According to Southgate, the audience was unhappy with the players kneeling because they thought it was a political move. Southgate insists that understanding is wrong.
The reason is, this kneeling gesture is purely a form of solidarity with other players who are victims of racism. However, Southgate is grateful that the mockery of a few spectators was disguised by other spectators who applauded in appreciation.
“I did hear it. On behalf of our black players, it’s not something I want to hear because it feels like criticism of them,” said Southgate quoted from Guardian.
“I think we have a situation where some people seem to think it’s a political stance they don’t agree with. That’s not why the players did it. We support each other. I’m happy that it was drowned out by the other spectators.
“We can’t deny the fact that it happened. I think the most important thing for our players to know is that all their team-mates and all the staff are very supportive of them.”
“I think most people understand that. However, some others don’t quite understand the message. I think we see that in a number of stadiums today,” he explained.
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