Euro 2020: FA urges England fans to respect German national anthem and players taking a knee at Wembley
England fans have been urged by the Football Association to respect the German national anthem and the players when they take a knee ahead of the Euro 2020 match on Tuesday.
Wembley will play host to the last-16 tie in front of around 40,000 fans – the largest sporting crowd in the UK in more than 15 months.
A minority of England fans appeared to boo the Croatian national anthem ahead of Gareth Southgate’s side’s opening group game, before the FA pleaded with supporters to avoid a repeat ahead of the meeting with Scotland earlier this month.
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In a statement released on Monday, the FA said: “England fans have played a vital role in supporting the team throughout this tournament and we thank you for positively getting behind them. It means a huge amount to Gareth, the team and support staff
“Whether you are at Wembley Stadium, or watching from somewhere else, please support England in the right way, before, during and after the match.
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“This includes respecting each national anthem and the players’ choice to take the knee before kick-off.
“We want you to be able to watch the match in a safe and enjoyable environment that’s free from any discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour.”
On the eve of the Croatia game, the FA released a powerful statement and video reminding fans that the knee is not “aligned to a political organisation or ideology”, but a stand against “inequality and injustice”.
England’s two pre-tournament warm-up games had seen a minority of supporters boo players taking a knee, despite pleas from England manager Southgate and his players to respect the anti-discrimination gesture.
Southgate, however, insisted the squad would continue to take a knee throughout the tournament and audible cheers were heard from sections of the Wembley crowd ahead of the Croatia game.
England have not played Germany in a major tournament since a 4-1 round-of-16 defeat at the 2010 World Cup.
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