World Players Association chief says players have right to protest at Floyd death

The Executive Director of the World Players Association, Brendan Schwab, told SNTV on Friday that athlete activism in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd should not be met with an "authoritarian and a disciplinarian approach" from governing bodies and has challenged FIFA to "walk the walk" after demanding a "common sense approach" to player sanctions this week.

Four Bundesliga footballers, Marcus Thuram of Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi and Weston McKennie of Schalke 04, have all led protests which have been backed by a wide range of players across Europe.

The German Football Federation (DFB) said on Wednesday that it opposed punishing any players for on-field protests related to Floyd's death because it believes their anti-racism messages match the federation's own principles.

Floyd, an African-American, was killed in Minneapolis last week after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck while in custody. Floyd's death has sparked protests across the United States and the rest of the world.

The World Players Association represents 85,000 athletes in over 60 countries, some of whom play in Europe's top football leagues as well as the NBA, MLB and NFL in the United States of America.