SCOTLAND have been criticised by many of Glasgow's politicians for opting against taking the knee during Euro 2020.
Steve Clarke's men were accused of "sending the wrong message" in the fight against racism after the squad announced they would take a stand prior to kick-off of all of their games in the tournament.
This will include the match against opponents England, who will continue to take the knee despite a section of their support voicing their discontent. Scotland's players argued yesterday they wanted to "change people’s mindsets" and "their behaviours".
However, the Scots have been criticised across the city's political spectrum.
Calton councillor Greg Hepburn wrote: "This is extremely misguided. Please take the knee and show solidarity.
"If we stand whilst England and others kneel we will only be giving one message and that is one of cowardice."
Labour deputy leader Eva Murray said: "This is really disappointing and I hope after today’s reaction that [the team] reconsider.
"Taking the knee sends a clear, internationally recognised message that our national team rejects racism. Scotland should join other nations in taking part in this act of solidarity."
"Take the knee or don't do anything at all," Southside Central councillor Mhairi Hunter said. "A half-baked compromise will just annoy everyone."
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney said: "Standing is not an act of solidarity in any credible sense.
"It will actually communicate a problematic message on an international stage, especially in contrast to the moral courage shown by young black players in the England squad. I hope the Scotland squad will reconsider this."
The decision against taking the knee comes in the context of the latter part of last season when many teams in the Premiership also stopped the gesture and instead took a stand. This was primarily as a result of racism directed at Rangers' Glen Kamara and amid players' anger at the continued presence of abuse within the game.
"This isn’t it," wrote councillor Christina Cannon. "Take the knee."
"It's going to be utterly shameful seeing teams making a gesture in solidarity with anti-racism while the Scotland players stand there watching them," added councillor Ruairi Kelly.
READ MORE: Rangers' Glen Kamara details Slavia Prague racism claims as he calls on UEFA to act
Leading lawyer Aamer Anwar, who represented Kamara, also questioned the move.
Yesterday, a statement from the Scottish FA read: "The Scotland Men’s National Team will continue to take a stand against racism prior to kick-off for all UEFA EURO 2020 matches.
"The squad, coaching staff and backroom members will stand up to racism ahead of the Group D matches against Czech Republic, England and Croatia."
Andy Robertson, Scotland captain, added: “It is important we continue to tackle the issue of racism and raise awareness of the need to change people’s mindsets but also their behaviours.
“Prior to our World Cup qualifiers in March we spoke as a group and felt that taking a stand was the best way for us to show solidarity and also to reinforce the need for meaningful change in society.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel