This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
On June 22, 2020, Premier League players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign before a match, as play resumed behind closed doors following the coronavirus pandemic outbreak.
Richard Masters, the Premier League CEO, defended the players' decision to support the Black Lives Matter movement, describing it as a moral cause and not a political one. He made the comments during a hearing of the British parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on July 1, 2020.
Masters explained that the decision to support the movement was a collective one, made by the captains of the Premier League clubs during a conference call. He emphasized that the Premier League is an apolitical organization and does not support political organizations.
However, Conservative MP Steve Brine questioned the league's shift from its previous opposition to political messages in the sport. He highlighted previous cases where players and managers were fined for wearing political messages, such as Mesut Ozil's support for the Uighur Muslim population in China and Pep Guardiola's yellow ribbon in support of Catalan independence campaigners.
Masters replied that the league is drawing a clear distinction between moral causes and political movements. He stated that while there may be difficulties in dividing the two, the Premier League's position is clear: politics no, moral causes yes - when agreed.
Labour MP Julie Elliott expressed concern about Masters' explanation, saying that it could open up a can of worms.
