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Connor O’Neill 

FA release statement signalling support for in-game George Floyd solidarity messages

The Football Association has endorsed FIFA's stance that "common sense" should be adopted when assessing any in-game George Floyd justice protests.

Newcastle United, Liverpool and Chelsea players have all taken a knee in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of the American. .

Floyd died on May 25 after a white police officer, who has since been charged with his murder, held him down by pressing a knee into his neck.

A host of players from a number of Premier League clubs have taken to social media to tweet the message: “Unity is strength #BlackLivesMatter” over the past few days.

While on Sunday afternoon, England star Jadon Sancho revealed a message calling for "justice" after scoring for Borussia Dortmund in their game against Paderborn.

He removed his shirt after scoring his side’s second of the match to reveal an undershirt with a message reading: "justice for George Floyd".

While Kick it Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari encouraged all players to take a knee in solidarity in the fight against racism following the killing of Floyd.

"If you score a goal and take a knee could everyone do that? Not just the black players, the white players too, everyone,” he told the Guardian.

"Every player should do it. It should be teams doing it... They could all take a knee. Racism's not about black players or brown fans, it's about all of us. Racism corrodes society and we're all hurt by it."

And now it appears that no players will receive disciplinary action if they opt to do so when the Premier League returns on June 17.

An FA statement read: "The FA strongly condemns discrimination of any kind and has endeavoured to ensure that football in England is both diverse and inclusive in recent years.

"Where any behaviours or gestures on the pitch that may constitute a breach of the Laws of the Game have to be assessed, they would be reviewed on a case by case basis with a common sense approach and understanding of their context.

"The power of football can break down barriers across communities and we remain deeply committed to removing all forms of discrimination from across the game we all love."

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