Pogba felt 'anger, pity' over George Floyd's death: 'This has to stop'
Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford each posted powerful anti-racism messages on social media Monday, becoming the latest athletes to decry racial injustice and discrimination in the wake of George Floyd's death in the United States.
"During the past few days I have thought a lot about how to express my feelings about what happened in Minneapolis," Pogba wrote on Instagram. "I felt anger, pity, hatred, indignation, pain, sadness."
He added, "Sadness for George and for all black people who suffer from racism every day! Whether in football, at work, at school, anywhere! This has to stop, once and for all! Not tomorrow or the next day, it has to end today! Violent acts of racism can no longer be tolerated. I can't tolerate. I won't tolerate. We won't tolerate. Racism is ignorance. Love is intelligence."
Floyd, a black man, died last week after a white police officer in Minneapolis kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The incident, captured on video, showed a handcuffed Floyd pleading that he couldn't breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, kept his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly three minutes after he had become unresponsive on the ground. The incident sparked protests throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
"At a time (when) I've been asking people to come together, work together and be united, we appear more divided than ever," Rashford said. "People are hurting and people need answers."
"Black lives matter. Black culture matters. Black communities matter. We matter," he added.
The outcry from the Manchester United teammates come after Jadon Sancho, Achraf Hakimi, Marcus Thuram, and Weston McKennie all made statements during their respective Bundesliga matches this past weekend; the Dortmund players revealed "Justice for George Floyd" messages on their shirts, Thuram took a knee on the field after scoring a goal, and McKennie wrote the words "Justice for George" on an armband he wore.
Also on Monday, the entire Liverpool squad knelt together during training, with the resulting photo - shared widely by the players on social media - accompanying a "Unity is strength" message.