Dortmund, Hertha take a knee for equality battle
Berlin, June 7: Borussia Dortmund and Hertha Berlin took a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests on Saturday as players across the Bundesliga showed support for demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd.
With thousands assembling in Berlin and Munich to demonstrate against police brutality and for racial equality, Dortmund and Hertha’s starting line-ups gathered around the centre circle at Signal Iduna Park before dropping to one knee.
Dortmund players also wore messages on their t-shirts during their prematch warm-up in honour of Floyd, a black American man who died in Minneapolis last month while being arrested by police officers. Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi wore the messages “no justice, no peace”, while midfielders Axel Witsel and Emre Can’s T-shirts displayed the words
“black”, “white” and “yellow” crossed out, with the word “human” below. Earlier, Pierre Kunde Malong also took a knee after scoring the second goal in Mainz’s 20 win at Frankfurt.
The Cameroonian will face no sanction from the German Football Federation (DFB) for the gesture after it gave the green light on Wednesday to players who wanted to honour Floyd or support the protests which have raged across the USA.
Sancho and Hakimi had also avoided punishment by the DFB following their on-pitch calls for justice last week.
Defending German champions Bayern Munich became the highest-profile club in the country to show their support for the protests. —
Tennis in Telangana has always been the most active sport. Since the lockdown, many families who have been living on sports like coaches, assistant coaches, ball pickers, groundsmen and consultants have been affected. Sports shops as well are at lockdown too. Playing sport improves the immune system.
To assume playing sport spreads the virus does not hold water. Sportsmen are disciplined by default and tend to maintain the same to reach their goals. Social distancing can be easily maintained in racquet sports like tennis and badminton. Summer camps were the main sources of attraction to sports but those have gone bust this time, which means we have lost a line of budding players.
Now, it’s time for monsoon that will last three months, further hampering sporting activity. The governments should understand the sports eco system, and that can only happen if a panel of sportspersons are on the advisory committees.
I request the authorities to open sports complexes and academies as soon as possible.
DRC Kiron Hyderabad
BRING ON THE ENGLISH LEAGUE
When the restart of the Premier League was announced, I was so thrilled. After almost three months of binge-watching shows and movies, I got bored with it too. But, when I got the news of football games in England being restarted on June 17 without spectators, I was jumping out of joy. It was like a silver lining in this global pandemic.
However, we should focus on something which is even more crucial. It is the safety of the players. I feel the health and the safety of the players is more important than the sport itself. But it is said the government and health advisors have given a “return to play” protocol for clubs. I hope they follow it and be extremely cautious about it.
The impact of the fans, their chants and support on the field will be missed. It’s the fans that push the players to do their absolute best regardless of it being a home or away game. Any sport is incomplete without its fans. But since the decision is taken due to the global pandemic it’s for the best.
Being a Chelsea fan, I can’t wait to see my team back in action and despite the fact that I don’t want Liverpool to lift the trophy.
Priyanka J. R. Chennai