Frankfurt wear 'Black Lives Matter' logo on shirts in German Cup semi

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Eintracht Frankfurt wore playing shirts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final, while opponents Bayern Munich warmed up in T-shirts bearing the same anti-racism message.

“Our team and the whole of Eintracht Frankfurt are united against all forms of racism and we want to show that publicly today,” explained Frankfurt director Fredi Bobic before kick-off behind closed doors.

Frankfurt’s shirts bearing the logo “#BlackLivesMatter” is the latest sign of solidarity from the Bundesliga in the wake of the death of black American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a fortnight ago at the hands of police.

The Bayern team warmed-up before their home semi-final in white T-shirts bearing the #BlackLivesMatter logo and “Rot Gegen Rassismus” (Red against Racism), referring to their famous playing strip.

The corner flags at Bayern’s Allianz Arena also carried the same messages.

Borussia Dortmund also wore warm-up T-Shirts showing solidarity for the protests, which have taken place in cities across the US and around the world, before their league match last weekend.

They were among the Bundesliga clubs who also knelt on one knee before kick-off in their league matches at the weekend.

Floyd, who was buried on Monday, died when a policeman kneeled on his neck in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the end of May and his death, caught on video, sparked waves of protests.