Chelsea players took a knee on Tuesday in a powerful statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The squad assembled for a photograph at their Cobham training base in which each player adopted the stance.
With each player on one knee, they lined up in an H shape, which Chelsea said stood for “humans”.
Captain Cesar Azpilicueta was one of a group of Blues players who posted the same message on social media: “Enough is enough. We are all HUMANS. Together we are stronger.”
The footballers’ reaction follows protests and riots across the United States following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd, an African-American man, died in police custody last week after an officer kneeled on his neck as he lay on the ground, sparking outrage across the globe.
Demonstrations have taken place around the world as well as in the US, with campaigners determined that Floyd’s death should be a turning point in a long struggle against racism and police brutality.
Former US president Barack Obama has supported peaceful protests, while his successor Donald Trump warned he could send in the military to deal with violent disorder.
Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger, Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount and Kepa Arrizabalaga were among the Chelsea stars to put the statement on Twitter, alongside the picture of the kneeling players.
Chelsea matched the example of Liverpool’s players, who took a knee on Monday, after a weekend that saw several protests in Germany’s Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund’s England international Jadon Sancho revealed a ‘Justice for George Floyd’ message on a t-shirt after scoring against Paderborn, while Borussia Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram took a knee when he netted against Union Berlin.
A number of black sporting greats, including Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, LeBron James and Tiger Woods, have spoken out on the issue.
NBA superstar James supported Liverpool’s stance by reposting the Premier League leaders’ tweet with his own “#YNWA” message – a reference to the Anfield club’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ anthem.
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