Raheem Sterling has called for English football to seize the moment and finally address its lack of black representation in positions of power.
The Manchester City and England forward made the comments during an appearance on the BBC’s flagship political programme, Newsnight, in the wake of anti-racism protests that have taken hold across the world.
Advance clips had shown the 25-year-old offering his support to those who have taken to the streets in the aftermath of civilian George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in the United States, but the full interview with Emily Maitlis saw him focus on matters closer at hand.
“It would be a fantastic signal if every club took a knee before a game. You can’t shake hands before kick off, so maybe they could replace it with a new pre-match ritual. We’re having some conversations to see what the appetite is.”
Meanwhile, reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram to praise protesters in Bristol for dumping a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in the harbour.
The Mercedes driver posted: “If those people hadn’t taken down that statue, honouring a racist slave trader, it would never have been removed.
“There’s talks of it going into a museum. That man’s statue should stay in the river just like the 20 thousand African souls who died on the journey here and thrown into the sea, with no burial or memorial. It should be replaced with a memorial for all those he sold, all those that lost their lives!”
