Zurich (AP) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino would not punish the Bundesliga professionals who protested for Schalke Weston McKennie after the death of African American George Floyd.
"To avoid doubt: In a FIFA competition, the latest demonstrations by players in the Bundesliga would deserve applause and not punishment," said the 50-year-old chief of the World Football Association in a statement. "We all have to say no to racism and all forms of discrimination. We all have to say no to violence. All forms of violence."
Over the weekend, professionals in games in the Bundesliga had promoted the death of Floyd, who died last week as a result of a brutal police operation in Minneapolis. Weston McKennie from Schalke 04 showed outrage and sympathy on an armband, Mönchengladbach's Marcus Thuram symbolically fell to his knees, Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi demanded "Justice for George Floyd" on T-shirts.
According to the statutes of the German Football Association, such actions are prohibited. The DFB announced that the control committee would deal with it. "It remains to be seen whether there will be sanctions in the present cases," said DFB Vice President Rainer Koch. The review by the control committee is about "determining whether the game and the field are the right place for these actions".
DFB announcement
FIFA announcement
