This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced that it would review its policy banning players from kneeling during the national anthem, a move that has sparked controversy and criticism from the US women's team.
The policy, which was introduced in 2017, requires players to 'stand respectfully' during the national anthem. However, the US women's team has called for the policy to be repealed, citing its impact on black players and supporters.
US women's team star Megan Rapinoe, who first kneeled during the anthem in 2016 in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has been at the forefront of the movement to repeal the policy.
According to ESPN, USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone has called for the policy to be discussed at a board meeting, which is set to take place on June 9, 2020. A USSF spokesperson later confirmed that the federation was considering repealing the policy.
The US women's soccer team has called on the USSF to 'immediately repeal' the policy and to 'apologize' to their black players. The team has also urged the federation to 'lay out its plans on how it will now support the message and movement it tried to silence four years ago.'
Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest, which began in August 2016, has become an emblematic expression of solidarity adopted during recent demonstrations across the United States and around the world.
