Young players in Germany call for ‘Justice for George Floyd’

BERLIN » Four young soccer players in Germany’s Bundesliga addressed the death of George Floyd in the United States with protests against police brutality and calls for justice over the weekend.

England’s 20-yearold winger Jadon Sancho, 21-year-old Moroccan right back Achraf Hakimi and 22-year-old Marcus Thuram made statements on the field Sunday, following the example set by Schalke’s American midfielder Weston McKennie, 21, the day before.

Sancho scored his first hat trick in Borussia Dortmund’s 6-1 win at Paderborn with no fans present, but removed his jersey after his first goal to reveal a Tshirt with the handwritten message “Justice for George Floyd” on the front.

“First professional hat trick,” Sancho said on Twitter. “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 have to come together as one & fight for justice. We are stronger together!”

Sancho was given a yellow card for taking off his jersey, but it didn’t stop teammate Hakimi from lifting his shirt to reveal the same message after he grabbed Dortmund’s fourth goal in the 85th minute.

Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee for several minutes on his neck.

Earlier, Thuram took a knee after scoring in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 4-1 win over Union Berlin. The

Gladbach forward scored in the first half and then dropped his left knee to the ground and rested his right arm on his right thigh as he bowed his head in reflection. He spent five seconds in this position before getting up again to continue.

“No explanation needed,” Gladbach said on Twitter with a picture of Thuram kneeling.

It evoked memories of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the American national anthem before games to protest police brutality and racial inequality amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

Thuram, who also scored Gladbach’s third goal, made no comment on his gesture after the game.

“He got to the point,” Gladbach coach Marco Rose said. “He made a sign against racism, one we all completely support of course. I believe that everyone fully supports it, that everyone has the same thoughts he does.”

Thuram is the son of French World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, a prominent antiracism campaigner.

Floyd’s death and footage of his neck pinned under Chauvin’s knee reignited fury over the treatment of African Americans at the hands of police, leading to nightly protests and violent clashes with law enforcement throughout the United States.

Saturday, McKennie wore an armband with the handwritten message “Justice for George” around his left arm. McKennie later said on Twitter: “We have to stand up for what we believe in and I believe that it is time that we are heard!”

McKennie, a native of

Texas, also said that he felt good using his platform to address a long-standing problem.

Schalke, which lost 1-0 to Werder Bremen, is backing McKennie.

La Liga to resume with Real Madrid playing at training center

MADRID » The Spanish league is resuming in less than two weeks, with Real Madrid playing its games at the club’s training center.

Madrid will host Eibar June 14 at the 6,000-capacity Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, a venue used mostly by the club’s “B” team at the Ciudad Real Madrid center on the city’s outskirts.

Madrid is not stopping renovation work at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as all remaining league games are likely to be played without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The league Sunday confirmed the dates and times of the first two rounds of matches to be played after the competition was stopped mid-March because of the pandemic. The first game will be the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis June 11 at 10 p.m. local time.

Defending champion Barcelona, which has a two-point lead over Real Madrid after 27 rounds, will resume at Mallorca June 13, while Atlético Madrid visits Athletic Bilbao the following day.

The league has announced that every game will include an “applause to infinity” tribute to the “heroes who are fighting to overcome” the pandemic. Pre-recorded applause uploaded in videos by fans will be played in the 20th minute of matches.