Gini Wijnaldum has explained the pride he feels for his team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City star Raheem Sterling when they stand up against racism. The Liverpool midfielder, who has spoken out on the issue in the past, has praised the duo for using their platforms as footballers to call out racial injustice and support the Black Lives Matter movement. Wijnaldum thinks the duo are helping set a good example and encouraging others to use their voices.
Gini Wijnaldum said “I am really proud that they are vocal. When other people see that they are vocal they will also want to be. A lot of people feel like they do not have the voice to be vocal, they do not have the platform. Maybe they think they are not that important of a person. Sterling and Trent are stars in football, in England they are big players, so when people see that they speak about it they will automatically think ‘if they can do it, we can do it also’. It’s a good example, they give the example to everyone to speak and not be afraid. The right thing to do is for the people on the pitch to protect the player who gets racial abuse. You have to protect the player in that case, In that (moment) the players on the pitch are more important than the game itself – it’s about humans. I think there should be rules that the referee has to stop the game to protect the player that is getting abuse.”
