President Donald Trump of the United States of America says he would no longer watch much of soccer in the country since the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has decided to legalise the act of disrespecting the country’s anthem.
Futballnews has reported that the USSF had decided to make a U-turn over their earlier decision to place a ban on soccer stars taking a kneel while the national anthem is being recited.
The American soccer governing body placed a ban on such an act in 2017 after Megan Rapinoe, the captain of USA female soccer national team, knelt in solidarity with the peaceful protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police brutality and racial injustice in 2016.
But the soccer governing body had to make a u-turn after the police in the country killed George Floyd, an African-American, who was not armed and who didn’t resist arrest. The death of Floyd reignited protest against racism and police brutality across the world.
Soccer clubs and players across the world have tried in their own ways to add their voices to the widespread protest but President Trump who has been at the centre of the whole agitation still feels indifferent about the whole crisis. He has always taken it as a plot of the opposition to frustrate his bid to win the November presidential election.
So, it wasn’t a surprise to most of his critics when he retweeted a tweet from Republican congressman Matt Gaetz that says: “I’d rather the US not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that won’t stand for the National Anthem. You shouldn’t get to play under our flag as our national team if you won’t stand when it is raised.”
Before President Trump retweeted, he commented that “I won’t be watching much anymore!” This implies that if soccer stars don’t stand straight as it is expected of them while reciting the national anthem, the US president would stop being a follower of soccer in the country.
I won’t be watching much anymore! https://t.co/s8nCg9EJSW
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2020
Will Trump’s comment force the USSF to resent their decision and return it to status quo or will the comment give those in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement another reason not to vote for him in November? Well, time will tell.
