Jadon Sancho was booked for showing a message of “Justice for George Floyd” written on his shirt after one of his goal celebrations in the Bundesliga and this decision has sparked a lot of controversies in Germany. But thankfully the EPL has chosen to work sensibly in this matter.
The IFAB has swiftly come out to clear the air regarding this whole action saying that Jadon Sancho was booked not for the political message but for taking off his shirt.
“This is clearly defined as illegal conduct as per Law 12 and does not have anything to do with any political message,” Lutz Michael Froehlich, the sporting director of elite referees at the DFB, said in a statement.
“It is hardly possible for referees to register political, religious or personal slogans, messages or images during a game.”
However, DFB chose to take a rather diplomatic step by revealing that they were reviewing the incident with Jadon Sancho as well as with Achraf Hakimi(who did a similar thing).
“Part of these examinations is to ascertain whether during matches and on the pitch are the right place for these actions,” DFB vice president Rainer Koch said.
“The game itself should remain free of political statements or messages of any kind… There are of course opportunities before and after the match for these kinds of things.
“We’ll have to wait and see whether sanctions are required in these instances.”
But now FIFA have made it clear that the competition organisers should use “common sense” when dealing with players who show support to George Floyd.
And standing in support, the EPL has now decided against punishing its players who choose to pay tribute to George Floyd.
“Where any behaviours or gestures on the pitch that may constitute a breach of the laws of the game have to be assessed, they would be reviewed on a case by case basis with a common-sense approach and understanding of their context,” the FA said in a statement when asked about players’ tributes to Floyd, as reported.
“The power of football can break down barriers across communities and we remain deeply committed to removing all forms of discrimination from across the game we all love.”
This is a great move from the EPL since the protests in the footballing community have been growing stronger with each passing day and a number of the big superstars have chosen to speak out against this unfortunate incidents.
Apart from the players, the EPL clubs have also slammed racism as a number of them chose to take a knee in solidarity.
