June 1 – England international Jadon Sancho was among a number of players adding their voice at the weekend to protest against the death of George Floyd, the unarmed African-American whose death in Minneapolis when a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes sparked nationwide rioting.
Sancho, one of the hottest properties in European football, celebrated the first goal in his second-half hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund in its 6-1 rout of SC Paderborn on Sunday by revealing a ‘Justice for George Floyd’ T-shirt.
Sancho peeled off his shirt to reveal the message on his undershirt, which earned him a yellow card since under the rules removing your shirt for any sort of celebration results in an automatic booking.
Sancho was part of the England squad that was subjected to racist abuse in last year’s Euro 2020 qualifiers in Montenegro and Bulgaria. After Sunday’s game he posted on social media: “Delighted to get my first career hat trick, a bittersweet moment personally as there are more important things going on in the world today that we must address and help make a change.
“We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right, we have to come together as one & fight for justice. We are stronger together! #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”
Sancho was not the only Bundesliga player to show solidarity with Floyd, with Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram “taking a knee” in tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. And Schalke’s US midfielder Weston McKennie sported an armband bearing the words “Justice for George” during his side’s home defeat to Werder Bremen.
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