‘White Lives Matter’ banner disheartening, says Richards

Former England defender Micah Richards says he was disheartened after a plane carrying a banner reading, ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ flew over Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

Burnley condemned the incident, which occurred shortly after players and officials took a knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.

“It’s so disheartening. After how far we’ve come in the last couple of weeks, it really does hurt me,” former City defender Richards said.

“I agree, everyone should have free speech, but just at a time when things are on the up, a small fraction just want to spoil things.”

The Premier League has joined the international movement to protest racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody last month.

“Burnley have come out and condemned it, but it just shows you – I speak to a lot of people who say, ‘all that stuff happens in America, it doesn’t happen in England’,”

Richards added.

“... We can wear T-shirts, we can do ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests, and slowly we’re getting better. But it just shows today, that although it’s a small minority, it’s still happening.”

Burnley captain Ben Mee told fans who flew the banner “to come into the 21st century”.

“The aeroplane that went out at the beginning of the game, I am ashamed, I’m embarrassed, that a small number of our fans have decided to put that around the stadium,” said Mee.

“It completely missed the point. The group of lads in there are embarrassed to see that and not what we are about at all.

“It missed the point of the whole thing of what we are trying to achieve. These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves as a lot of us do. I’m really upset that happened.”