Political Gestures in English Football.

In the UEFA Nations League England got off to a bad start losing 1 - 0 to Hungary. England came within an inch of losing to Germany last night. England gained a penalty after a German player fouled England Captain Harry Kane.

Kane stepped up and left goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for dead as the ball hit the back of the net. So England gained a respectable draw with Germany. England can now step forward and face Italy on Saturday.

Both teams showed spirit and determination, however, Germany showed more gusto. Hofman had a disallowed goal after VAR determined it was offside. Later, Hofman delivered a goal for Germany with Jordan Pickford not stopping it. What helped England in the second half was Jack Grealish. Also, Jarrod Bowen getting his second cap for England helped. German defender Antonio Rudiger proved how good he is for Germany but he received a yellow card.

How far England can progress in this tournament remains to be seen. Surely, England will have to win against Italy on Saturday. Getting out of your group is difficult especially if you have taken a knock as England has. That knock was the loss to Hungary which caused an upset to England's impeccable record. England must go out and do something remarkable against Italy. It will be a grudge match as England has a score to settle after Italy's win in Euro 2020. For Italy, after beating Hungary they will want to win and achieve glory beyond that. Italy will not be in the World Cup as they were knocked out by Macedonia. Which was and still is a shock to passionate Italian lovers of football.

So why is England still taking the knee? The English Premiership and national team appear to be the only ones still doing this gesture. Other leagues and national teams seem to have abandoned this gesture. That's not to say they approve of racism or abuse of any kind. But for them, it was of its time, and its time to move on. The gesture itself is associated with the far-left white-hating group Black Lives Matter or BLM.

Many fans boo the gesture because they are not necessarily racists. It is simply that they feel politics should be kept out of the sport. The fans are there for a match, not political gestures. What footballers or indeed what Gareth Southgate does off the pitch politically should be kept out of matches. Fans should have the right to show their disapproval or approval. Just as players apparently have the right to express opinions on the pitch. The media should be objective and not take sides in this ongoing fiasco.

As pointed out on GB News if footballers are that political they would refuse to go to Qatar. But they won't because it's about money and fulfilling their contract as players. If they didn't go then it might be the end of their careers. They would be drummed out of football and forced to take a real job. Bye-bye to their lavish lifestyles and being treated like Gods.

Qatar has one of the worst human records on the planet. So will players do take the knee gestures or wear pro-LGBTQ+ armbands? The body that governs international football will have assured Qatar that political gestures will be discouraged. Will, any players dare defy football and Qatari authorities and do them anyway?

In English football, certain things are allowed if they are following a woke agenda. Taking the knee and LGBTQ+ armbands are allowed but wearing a poppy is not. Booing is condemned yet Alexander Trent Arnold was not condemned for refusing to sing 'God Save The Queen'.

Muslims will be allowed to express their joy at scoring a goal in Qatar. What about if you are Christian or any other faith come to that? Will you be allowed to express your joy on the pitch religiously? Will expressions of joy pertaining to their particular faith be disallowed? Lest it upset the conservative Islamic fans and authorities in Qatar?

Finally, only football has allowed political gesturing to run riot. You do not see it at all in rugby, cricket, etc, so what does that say about football?