Captain Burnley Ben Mee said he was humiliated on Monday night after an obscene banner flew over the Etihad Stadium during the 5-0 thrashing of Manchester City. A plane bearing the sign ‘Black lives matter to Burnley’ flew over the ground in the early stages of the Team’s first Premier League game since the competition restarted.
It came just moments after both players in support of the Black Lives Matter movement took the knee at kick-off. The club released a strongly worded statement before the end of the game, and Mee subsequently voiced his frustration and thought it had affected the squad ‘s performance.
Mee told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We are condemning it as a group of players, we are ashamed, we are embarrassed. To see that in the sky had a massive impact on us. We were embarrassed, disappointed, upset. We are embarrassed that our name was in it. That they were trying to tie it to our club. It is not a part of our club anywhere. These kinds of fans don’t deserve to be around football.”
Clarets manager Sean Dyche, who did not see the plane at the time, was also disappointed by the incident.
Dyche said: “We can only apologize as a club. This is intolerable.”
The club statement added that the Turf Moor offenders were not welcome, and would be suspended for life if found.
It reads: “This is in no way what Burnley Football Club stands for. It was a chastening night on the field for Burnley, who has been weakened by injuries and the absence of some players whose contracts are set to expire next week.
Dyche has expressed his dissatisfaction with the contract situation.
He said: “We ‘re in amazing financial shape. We ‘re a club that’s been operating well over the years, financially, and we’ve been able to get through this time without any questions. But they have to make choices. I can only advise what I did but the chairman took different decisions.
Dyche conceded City had outplayed his side.
