More footballers express solidarity

Berlin, June 3: United States internationals Zack Steffen and Tyler Adams have joined several other German league footballers in expressing their solidarity in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Steffen issued a statement on Tuesday titled “Enough is enough” in which he said he was speaking in honor of “Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and every other African American who has been killed by police brutality.”

The 25-year-old goalkeeper spoke of his pride in wearing the US national team shirt but questioned why its leaders “won’t protect its citizens who look like me?”

Steffen, who plays for Fortuna Dsseldorf, was unable to play this past weekend because of an injury but posted a statement on Twitter.

“If I’m going to wear the US flag, I need to know that it stands for something worth defending, he wrote.

“I need to know that it stands for something worth defending. I need to know that my country supports black lives. That our leaders see us. That they hear us. I am proud to defend my nation. All I ask is that my nation also defends me,” he added.

Earlier, Steffen called US President Donald Trump “a disgusting hypocrite” while quoting a Tweet that Trump sent on January 12 asking Iran’s leaders not to kill protesters.

Trump faced criticism after police under federal command and National Guard soldiers aggressively forced back peaceful demonstrators near the White House with tear gas so he could walk to a nearby church and pose with a Bible. — AP