MX23RW : Monday, December 23 20:31:13| >> :600:135230799:135230799:

Premier League shirts to feature 'No Room For Racism' message this season

The league will promote its own anti-discrimination campaign instead.

Premier League clubs' shirts will not carry the Black Lives Matter slogan in the coming season, the league has announced.

Shirts will instead feature a patch promoting the league's own anti-discrimination campaign No Room For Racism.

The BLM slogan was adopted during the restarted 2019-20 campaign over the summer, following on from global protests in support of the movement sparked by the death of George Floyd in the United States while in police custody in May.

Premier League captains were consulted over the change during a conference call on Thursday.

The league's chief executive Richard Masters said: "We, our clubs, players and match officials have a long-standing commitment to tackling discrimination.

"Players rightly have a strong voice on this matter, which we saw last season. We have continued to talk and listen to players on this issue and will support them as well as continuing to emphasise the Premier League's position against racism.

"Discrimination in any form, anywhere, is wholly unacceptable and No Room For Racism makes our zero-tolerance stance clear. We will not stand still on this important issue and we will continue to work with our clubs, players and partners to address all prejudiced behaviour."

The BLM movement in the UK has been criticised over accusations of anti-Semitism and calls to defund the police.

The league released a statement on June 30 saying it did "not endorse any political organisation or movement, nor support any group that calls for violence or condones illegal activity".

It added: "We are aware of the risk posed by groups that seek to hijack popular causes and campaigns to promote their own political views. These actions are entirely unwelcome and are rejected by the Premier League and all other professional football bodies, and they underline the importance of our sport coming together to declare a very clear position against prejudice."

The league said it will continue to support players will still take the knee before matches in solidarity with the BLM movement, and the Football Association will continue its 'common sense' approach to how it treats any other on-field shows of support.

Crystal Palace players take the knee during a match against Tottenham
Crystal Palace players take the knee during a match against Tottenham (Ian Walton/PA)

The Premier League has launched a dedicated service to allow players, coaches and their family members to report discriminatory abuse they encounter online.

These incidents will be reviewed, reported to the social media site and further legal action taken where appropriate.

It is also working in conjunction with the Professional Footballers' Association and the EFL on a coach placement scheme with a view to improving diversity in the game.

ID:413781: cacheID:413781:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5972:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
Read Next:
Kick It Out reveals rise in reports of discrimination in football last season
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!