Borussia Dortmund and England international, Jadon Sancho, has come out to call for “justice for George Floyd” who was gruesomely murdered in a broad daylight by a Minneapolis police officer in the United States of America.
Sancho who scored his first career hat-trick in the 0-6 bashing of Paderborn on Sunday, took off his shirt after the 57 minutes mark when he scored his second goal for the night to reveal an inscription calling for justice for the slain African-American. Though he got a yellow card for the action, his message was as loud as those who have been speaking against the “unnecessary” murder of the unarmed civilian.
Less than a week ago, the United States was given something to distract the people of the country from the menace of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic when a video surfaced on the internet showing when a police officer arrested an African-American who was later identified as George Floyd.
In the video, Floyd was not seen resisting the arrest as his two hands were handcuffed to his back. In another scene, Floyd was seen lying down on his stomach while the police officer who was later identified as Derek Chauvin rested his whole weight on his neck in the midst of other police officers and some passers-by who tried to urge him to stop. Floyd was heard using his last breath to tell Derek that he couldn’t breathe. Yet, the officer maintained that posture until Floyd died.
Though Derek has been dismissed from the police service, the murder of Floyd has brought about the protest in most cities of the world especially cities across America. The protesters are demanding that Derek and other police officers who were present at the scene of the incident to take a greater fall beyond just being dismissed from the service.
So, in line with the call of black and brown citizens of the world, 20-year-old Jadon Sancho wants nothing but justice for the slain. After his match in the Bundesliga on Sunday, he took to Instagram to write: “Solid performance from the team!!
“Delighted to get my first career hat trick, a bittersweet moment personally as there are more important things going on in the world today that we must address and help make a change.
“We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right, we have to come together as one & fight for justice. We are stronger together! #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd”
Many other players in the Bundesliga have used one way or the other to protest the death of Floyd. Sancho‘s teammate, Achraf Hakimi also removed his shirt to reveal the inscription “Justice for George Floyd” during Dortmund game on Sunday. Another Bundesliga star playing for Borussia Monchengladbach, Marcus Thuram, also paid tribute to the murder of the African-American.
“Together is how we move forward, together is how we make a change #BLACK–LIVES–MATTERS”, Marcus wrote on Twitter after his club’s 4-1 win over Union Berlin.