Bundesliga players demand justice for the death of George Floyd

The death of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has sparked many protests in the United States and around the world with many athletes also expressing how they feel about the police using excessive force against minorities in the country.

The Bundesliga in Germany is the first major league in Europe to resume after the coronavirus pandemic and over the weekend games many players demanded justice for the death of Floyd. From written messages on shirts to arm bands with Floyd’s name is how the footballers expressed their message to the people watching the game.

Weston McKennie

The American player showed support for Floyd during the game between Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen. McKennie displayed his support by wearing an armband with the message “Justice for George.” Also after the game he tweeted an image of the him wearing the armband with the hashtag #JusticeForGeorge.

Marcus Thuram

The striker sent a powerful message of solidarity towards those protesting against the killing of George Floyd on Monday by a police officer. After Thuram scored the second goal of the game for Monchengladbach the French player moved away from his teammates to go down on one knee, a symbolic protest against police brutality that the NFL player Colin Kaepernick used in 2016.

Jadon Sancho

The England winger scored a hat-trick during Borussia Dortmund's 6-1 victory over Paderborn on Sunday. The first goal he scored at the 57th minute, Sancho revealed a slogan on his undershirt with a message that said “Justice for George Floyd.”

Achraf Hakimi

Sancho’s team-mate also decided to join the protest during the same game. The Borussia Dortmund player scored a goal in the 84th minute and when he was celebrating he lifted his shirt to reveal the same message displayed by the English winger.