Premier league players ‘take a knee’ at kick off

British football showed its support for the Black Lives Matters movement and all of those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic today as the Premier League kicked off for the first time since lockdown began.

IN a powerful image, all 22 players, officials and coaching staff at the very first game of the restarted season between Aston Villa and Sheffield United took a knee at the whistle to start the game. Referee Michael Oliver also took to his knee the second after he had sounded his whistle.

Villa’s players all wore black t-shirts stating ‘Black Lives Matter’ as they were warming up on the pitch.

All players and staff at the game also held a minute’s silence before the play started and before they took a knee. In a statement, an Aston Villa spokesperson said: “We believe that ‘taking a knee’ at the start of the fixture and after the pre-match minute’s silence, allowed both clubs to pay their respects to Covid-19 victims and to show the deep gratitude we all feel for our brave and selfless front-line workers.”