Premier League to feature 'Black Lives Matter' patch on jerseys for remainder of season
The English Premier League returns to action on Wednesday with opening matches between Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United and Manchester City vs. Arsenal, and the league has implemented a few changes to team jerseys.
Team jerseys will feature an NHS badge to honor healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus as well as a "Black Lives Matter" patch on the arm for the remainder of the season. Player names on the back of jerseys also will be replaced with "Black Lives Matter" for the first 12 matches of the season restart.
The "Black Lives Matter" patches stand in solidarity with the protests surrounding racial injustice around the world following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. This isn't the first time soccer teams around the globe have shown respect for the "Black Lives Matter" movement, either.
Before Bayern Munich's match against Leverkusen on June 6, all players took the field for warmups in "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts in solidarity with the movement and to honor Floyd.
Schalke's Weston McKennie wore a "Justice for George" armband during a match against Werder Bremen on May 30, Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram took a knee after scoring a goal against Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho ripped off his shirt after scoring to reveal an undershirt with the message "Justice for George Floyd."
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