Leicester City favourite Emile Heskey has hit out at supporters who booed England players for taking the knee in their pre-Euro-2020 friendlies. The gesture, which has been performed regularly over the last 12 months as part of the fight against discrimination, received a negative reaction from a section of the crowd when it was performed ahead of the games against Austria and Romania at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium. Heskey has backed the continuation of the gesture and cannot understand why people would boo it.
Emile Heskey said: “I think the players are valid in what they’re doing. If they believe in it, why shouldn’t they do it? We always say to players ‘stay out of politics’ and then when you stay out of it they say ‘why don’t you use your voice’ and then they’re told to stay out of it. People are always trying to dictate what players can and cannot do. They players have said what this is for, listen to them and either back them or shut up. If you don’t like it then you’re part of the problem because all they’re doing is standing up for equality. And if you don’t want equality then just say so. They’re booing their own players, do they think that is going to make them play any better? People have got to understand the situation and stop trying to have their own narratives. The players are so professional I would like to think that they can block it out and go and perform. There might be one or two of them that it does effect, but I really hope it doesn’t. It will be up to the manager to knuckle down and make sure that it doesn’t affect any of them.”
