US Football to allow protests during national anthem

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Bengaluru, June 11: The United States Soccer's Board of Directors have voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, admitting that the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.

The rule was adopted after US women's national team star Megan Rapinoe knelt while the national anthem played prior to a match in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick, had been cynosure of all eyes over his decision to sit down during the national anthem in protest of discrimination against people of coloured origin.

The 28-year-old's protest, which sought to highlight racial inequality including police brutality against black people, set off a firestorm of controversy and he never found work again in the NFL after the 2016 season.

"We apologise to our players - especially our black players - staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism," the US Soccer Federation said in a statement.

"Sports are a powerful platform for good, and we haven't used our platform as effectively as we should have. We can do more on these specific issues and we will," the statement added.

The controversial issue has returned to the fore in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who died last month after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, prompting protests in the US and beyond.

Many sports personalities like Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, former ATP world No.1 Boris Becker and boxing great Mike Tyson, have came out openly in support of the #BlackLivesMatter campaign against racial discrimination.

The US Soccer Athletes' Council, which includes current national team players Alex Morgan and Ali Krieger, as well as former players like Landon Donovan, called on US Soccer to also apologise for the policy to foster a positive relationship to exist going forward.

US President Donald Trump has been one of the most vocal critics of players kneeling during the anthem, tweeting that NFL players who did so were "disrespecting our Country & our Flag."

Several players, including Washington running back Adrian Peterson, have said they plan to take a knee during the playing of the anthem next season.

(With inputs from Agencies)