EPL players to wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ on shirts

Premier League players’ names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.

The Premier League will also support any player who chooses to ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.

Players in Germany have made gestures of solidarity with people protesting about the death of George Floyd.

“We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice,” read a statement.

In a joint message from all 20 clubs, players added that they were committed to “a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their colour or creed”.

A Black Lives Matter badge will feature on all playing shirts for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking NHS staff for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.

Several Premier League squads have already ‘taken a knee’ in training-ground images shared on social media, and anti-racism charity Kick It Out had asked that players feel free to do so on the pitch.

The Football Association has said it will take a “common sense approach” to such protests.

Four players, including Borussia Dortmund’s England forward Jadon Sancho, were initially investigated by the Bundesliga authorities for making clear their support for anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of the death of 46-year-old Floyd in police custody in the United States last month.

None was subsequently punished and the German Football Association said it would continue to allow such displays of support over the coming weeks.

The Premier League resumes behind closed doors on 17 June after a three-month suspension caused by the pandemic.