Chelsea stars take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter campaign

The Chelsea squad assembled in a H shape, which Chelsea said stood for 'humans', as each player stood on one knee.

Chelsea players take a knee

Following on from Liverpool's support, Chelsea players took a knee on Tuesday in a powerful statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Blues squad assembled in a H shape, which Chelsea said stood for 'humans', as each player stood on one knee. 

Skipper Cesar Azpilicueta told the club's website that the players have been keeping a close eye on the news in recent days. He said, "‘We see many incidents of discrimination in every part of the world and it shouldn’t happen. We are all equal and it doesn’t matter our origin, the colour of our skin, our religion, our sexuality, we are all human."

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The solidarity from players is following the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after he pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck in Minneapolis.

 

Demonstrations have taken place around the world as well as in the US, with campaigners determined that Floyd's death should be a turning point in a long struggle against racism and police brutality.

Azpilicueta, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger, Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount and Kepa Arrizabalaga were among the Chelsea players to put statements on Twitter in support of the movement.

A number of black sporting greats, including Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, LeBron James and Tiger Woods, have spoken out on the issue.

NBA superstar James supported Liverpool's stance by reposting the Premier League leader's tweet with his own "#YNWA" message – a reference to the Anfield club's 'You'll Never Walk Alone' anthem.