RFI

Black Lives Matter: In England, Ivorian Wilfred Saha no longer kneels and describes himself

The Crystal Palace striker, who has returned after several weeks of absence, has done just what he announced a few weeks ago: this Saturday, March 13, before the match against West Bromwich Albion, he became the first Premier player. Do not kneel before kicking off. Wilfred Saha said in a statement that his decision to implement this gesture, which was popularized by Colin Copernicus and the Black Lives Matter movement, was no longer valid. On February 18, at a conference hosted by the Financial Times, Wilfred Saha announced the decision not to put one knee on the ground before the start of the English Championship. In the wake of the death of George Floyd in the United States and other shocking events that engulfed the country in mid-2020, the Black Lives Matter movement gained popularity around the world. Many athletes and leagues have taken to the ground-kneed gesture, which was published by quarterback Colin Copernicus in 2016. So Wilfred Saha announced that he did not want to do this until mid-February, and it has become a custom for him to kneel before the kickoff of Premier League matches since the summer of 2020. Crystal Palace striker said kneeling “has become something we do like that”, this gesture is “not enough”. “I feel that kneeling is humiliating. When I was growing up, my parents taught me that I should be proud to be black. Ivorian International added. “Some of us will continue to be insulted” Winfred Saha, who suffered a muscle injury in early February, returned to action on Saturday, March 13th. As he announced ahead of the kickoff of the Premier League matchday 28 match between Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion. Another Premier League player before him has refused to give in to a knee, and Elephant posted a statement on social media to further explain his choice. “There is no right or wrong decision. But personally, I feel like kneeling has become a pre-game routine. Now, it doesn’t matter if we kneel or stand, some of us will continue to be humiliated. He is the target of racial slurs and threats on social media. On Wednesday, March 10, the Championship Club (English Second Division) posted on Instagram the racist insults received by Congolese Yanick Bolasi on Everton loan to Middlesbrough. Leopard threatened international “keyboard fighters” and commented that he had never seen any of them “with the same energy they had when they saw me.” Saha advocated for more education and stricter oppression of racism. Saha continued: “I know there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in the Premier League and other authorities to make a difference, and I fully respect all participants. I fully respect my teammates and players from other clubs who are on their knees. Stryker calls for “better education in schools” and urges social media companies to “take strong action not only against football players, but also against people who harass them online.” “Now I want to focus on football and get back on the pitch. I continue to stand up, ”he concludes.