The US women’s national soccer team had called on the US Soccer Federation (USSF) to repeal a policy that forbids players from kneeling during the national anthem.
US Soccer Federation repealed the anthem policy. (@ussoccer Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sports are a powerful platform for good, and we have not used our platform as effectively as we should have: US Soccer
- Earlier, US Soccer required players to stand after Rapinoe knelt in 2016
- USA women’s soccer team had demanded apology and repeal of anthem policy
The U.S. Soccer Federation on Wednesday said it had repealed its requirement that players stand during the national anthem, saying the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.
The policy was adopted in 2017 after U.S. women’s national team member Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the playing of the anthem prior to a match in 2016 in solidarity with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to call attention to racial injustice.
“We apologize to our players – especially our black players – staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism,” the federation said in a statement.
“Sports are a powerful platform for good, and we have not used our platform as effectively as we should have. We can do more on these specific issues and we will.”
Going forward it will be up to the players to determine how they want to use their platforms to fight racism, discrimination and inequality, the federation said.
