Marseille players refuse to take the knee as Man City stars kneel before UCL clash

Football fans were left confused on Tuesday night as Manchester City players took a knee ahead of their Champions League group stage match at Olympique de Marseille, while players from the home team just stood there waiting for their opposition to get back on their feet. 

As referee Tobias Stieler blew the whistle to start the game at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille’s players stood and watched as their Man City counterparts all took a knee. The norm has been quite common in England as players have to kneel before every match in the Premier League to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement. Since football resumed in June, players, coaches and match officials have taken a knee in support for the movement, which gained prominence after the death of George Floyd back in May. 

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However, the gesture was never implemented in France, which meant that Marseille players were not obligated to kneel before the match like their opponents did. 

Despite the explanation, fans were unhappy with Marseille as most flocked to social media demanding an answer for the same on Tuesday night.

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Marseille vs Man City: Cityzens make light work of Villas-Boas' side

Coming back to the game, it was the usual dominance from Man City, who romped their way to a comfortable 3-0 win in France. New signing Ferran Torres opened the scoring, capitalising on a string of errors by the Marseille backline. A horrendous back-pass from Duje Caleta-Car was pounced upon by Kevin De Bruyne, who teed up Torres for an easy finish. The Spaniard has now scored two in two UCL games for his new club.

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Ilkay Gundogan scored Man City's second in the 76th minute before Raheem Sterling sealed the win with an 81st-minute strike. Kevin De Bruyne picked up his second assist of the game when he created Man City's third. The win keeps Man City on top in Group C with two wins in their opening two fixtures. Last week, Pep Guardiola's side scored a 3-1 win at home to FC Porto. Meanwhile, Marseille remain fourth in the group, having lost both their UCL fixtures so far.

Man City will hope to translate their UCL form in the Premier League as they face an away trip to Sheffield United next. City are 13th in the Premier League with just eight points in five matches. They have picked up two wins, two draws and one loss so far. 

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(Image Credits: Raheem Sterling Twitter)