FIFA urges ‘tolerance’ after Donald Trump’s anthem kneeling rebuke

FIFA appealed Monday for “tolerance, mutual respect and common sense” after United States President Donald Trump denounced the annulment of a policy that required soccer players to stand during the national anthem.

“I won’t be watching much anymore!” Trump tweeted Saturday.

Trump shared a tweet by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who wrote: “I’d rather the US not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that won’t stand for the National Anthem.”

It was United States captain Megan Rapinoe kneeling in support of Colin Kaepernick that led to the U.S. Soccer Federation adopting the rule in 2017. It was annulled last week after American soccer leaders acknowledged a change in sentiment among the public since the death of George Floyd sparked global anti-racism protests.

“FIFA strongly advocates for tolerance, mutual respect and common sense when such important matters are debated,” world soccer’s governing body said in a statement to The Associated Press when asked about Trump’s comments.

“FIFA has a zero-tolerance approach to incidents of all forms of discrimination in football, as outlined in the FIFA Statutes. We must all say no to racism and no to violence.”

Get your sport fix on Kayo ahead of live games returning soon â€" classic match replays, documentaries and the latest news & announcements. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

FIFA President Gianni Infantino introduced Trump at a dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January, expressing a desire to “make sure that the ‘American dream’ becomes reality, not only in America, as we have seen, but all over the world.”

In response to Trump’s tweet, FIFA said Infantino’s “position on the player’s rights to express themselves against racism, discrimination and violence was clearly stated two weeks ago and it has not changed.”

Infantino signalled support for on-field protests after American midfielder Weston McKennie wore an armband while playing for Schalke in Germany with the handwritten message “Justice for George” around his left arm.

â€" AP

NRL PLAYERS WELCOME STANCE AGAINST RACISM

Penrith Panthers star Josh Mansour was hours away from trying to silence Blake Ferguson on Friday when he received a text from the Parramatta winger. Then they decided to make some noise together.

“When I saw Fergo’s name pop up, I’m like, ‘What he’s want now?’ I’m thinking I want to kill (him), I’m getting amped up for the game’,” Mansour told AAP.

“Obviously it was regarding Black Lives Matter.

“I was all for it.”

Seconds after the Eels broke the Panthers’ hearts with a stirring comeback win, the teams came together and took a knee in support of the BLM movement. It was a scene that was repeated across six of the eight NRL games over the weekend, as well as in fixtures in the AFL.

Mansour insisted the players’ stance, which had the full support from league central, went beyond the protests happening across the United States.

“We aren’t trying to get political. We just want to show that this game is welcome to all kinds of nationalities,” Mansour said.

“We’re a multicultural country and a multicultural game.

“The main objective was to pay our respects to the 432 indigenous lives that were lost in police custody. We just want to show our solidarity.

“In such a negative time, it’s hard to find a positive in days like this.

“That was one tonight.”

Ferguson, who is currently studying community services primarily based around indigenous mental health, said it was important the NRL made a stance.

“It just shows solidarity between us as a group, as a code,” Ferguson said.

South Sydney captain Adam Reynolds was behind the decision to gather his teammates and Gold Coast players before their clash on Saturday night. The Rabbitohs’ indigenous players, including Cody Walker, were also involved.

“One of the great things in society is that we took the knee to stamp out racism,” said Walker, who controversially opted not to sing the national anthem last year.

“The way we move forward as a country is we unite hand-in-hand and walk forward regardless of background, regardless of colour.

“That’s the way we get out of this. We do it together.”

The players’ stance also comes just days after a meeting involving ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys and senior indigenous players. That group included this year’s Indigenous All Stars captain Joel Thompson, and Gold Coast duo Ryan James and Tyrone Roberts.

V’landys said the league had no hesitation in giving the game’s indigenous stars a platform to express their views and hit out at those who opposed their stance. Penrith told social media fans critical of their decision to post photos of the teams taking a knee over the weekend to unfollow their account.

“My opinion of that is that like it or not, racism exists in our community. And anything that highlights the effect of racism is a good thing,” V’landys said.

“It’s not meant to be political.

“It’s basically highlighting that rugby league is an inclusive sport.

“People that are criticising it, I don’t think they understand … The meaning of it is basically to highlight that there is still racism issues within our community.”

â€" AAP

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google
• Tumblr
• Pinterest