Teams continued to show their support for the movement by taking a knee before kick-offs on Saturday
By Blake Welton
Last Updated: 20/06/20 8:56pm
1:49
Eni Aluko says the Premier League’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement has been powerful, but must continue if it’s to influence lasting change
Eni Aluko says the Premier League’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement has been powerful, but must continue if it’s to influence lasting change
Eni Aluko has praised the Premier League for its support of the Black Lives Matter movement but says it must not be “a fleeting moment”.
The start of every game since Wednesday’s return to action has seen all players and officials take a knee before kicking off, while names have been replaced by ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the back of shirts.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former England Women forward Aluko said: “There’s been a real intention to put the issue right in the front of minds and when the players took the knee in Wednesday night’s first games it was powerful, it was chilling.
“It surprised me, we knew that players were going to be wearing Black Lives Matters on their shirts and badges but we didn’t expect that.
“What I would say though is that I don’t want it to be a fleeting moment – unless the players are going to kneel for the rest of the season – what is the lasting change that is going to come from this?”
0:23 Tottenham and Manchester United players took the knee in support of Black Lives Matter ahead of their Premier League match
Lack of diversity in management and boardrooms is ’embarrassing’
Aluko is in no doubt the Premier League is a fantastic brand which promotes diversity on the pitch but believes more needs to be done in coaching and boardrooms.
There are just six managers across England’s 91 EFL clubs from a BAME background, which has led to calls for English football to address the lack of black representation in positions of power.
“There’s a danger it could become a campaign that looks good, feels good, gets us all thinking, gets us all talking but ultimately what does lasting change look like for the Premier League?
1:14 Eddie Howe, Steve Bruce and Roy Hodgson all back their players kneeling to support the Black Lives Matter movement
“If you look at the stats and representation of players it’s a fantastic product – multi-cultural, all races and backgrounds.
“But when you look at management, boardrooms, it doesn’t reflect that.
“So I would like to see if the Premier League are willing to put the same energy into this massive campaign as they do to that problem.
“The stats are embarrassing and I think the Premier League need to come out and be very open about the situation.
“It is the last piece of the jigsaw for the Premier League in terms of it being a fantastic global brand and they need to try to put something in place to represent more managers as well more in boardrooms.”
