Jadon Sancho and Marcus Thuram, after scoring in their respective Bundesliga games on Sunday, sent a strong message of unity to those protesting against the killing of George Floyd by American police. Both players followed up their gestures on-field with social media posts calling for change.
After scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Paderborn the England winger unveiled a slogan on his undershirt. This followed the Borussia Mönchengladbach forward when his side beat Union Berlin earlier on Sunday, Thuram taking a knee in a goal celebration.
Sancho scored the second goal for Dortmund at Paderborn, then took off his shirt to reveal the message “Justice for George Floyd.” The 20-year-old was booked for removing his shirt by the referee, Daniel Siebert, although other players in Dortmund showed they also wore the message of support. Sancho went on to score a hat-trick in the 6-1 win for Dortmund.
“Delighted to get my first career hat-trick, a bittersweet moment personally as there are more important things going on in the world today that we must address and help make a change. We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right, we have to come together as one and fight for justice. We are stronger together! #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd,” Sancho said on Instagram.
Sancho also posted a photo of himself from the game, adding support messages from fellow players to his Instagram account, including Tammy Abraham and Toni Rüdiger.
Sancho and Thuram ‘s statements came amid riots in several U.S. cities, sparked by Floyd ‘s death in Minneapolis after a policeman knelt for several minutes at his neck as he pleaded he could not breathe. Thousands gathered in London on Sunday to protest the killing, demonstrating in Trafalgar Square and outside of the Battersea US Embassy.
After the game, Thuram tweeted: “Together is how we move forward, together is how we make a change #BLACK_LIVES_MATTERS.” Dortmund full-back Achraf Hamiki also displayed a tribute to Floyd after scoring, and later tweeted “together we will defeat racism! Justice.”
Thousands had gathered in Berlin, the German capital, to show their solidarity on Saturday.
