The US Soccer Federation has announced that it has voted to repeal the policy which required players to stand during the national anthem, a rule that was enforced after the women’s team captain Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of American football player Colin Kaepernick in 2016.
The board of directors of the federation made the decision to scrap Policy 604-1, which was passed in 2017, on Wednesday via a conference call.
In a statement, US Soccer said it affirms Black Lives Matter and support the fight against racial injustices.
“We have not done enough to listen—especially to our players—to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country. We apologize to our players—especially our Black players—staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism,” the statement by US Soccer read.
“Sports are a powerful platform for good, and we have not used our platform as effectively as we should have. We can do more on these specific issues and we will.”
The decision comes in the wake of the protests raging across the country following the killing of African American George Floyd. The widespread protests have placed focus on the systemic racism and police brutality against Black people and other minorities in the US and elsewhere.
The US Soccer Athletes’ Council also called on the federation to apologise for the enforcing the rule in order to have a “positive relationship to exist going forward”.
Rapinoe had knelt during the national anthem in a couple of matches in 2016 to express solidarity with Kaepernick, who took a knee when the anthem played before NFL games to raise awareness on police brutality against Black people.
The US Women’s National Team Players Association also called for an apology from US Soccer.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and the US women’s national soccer team captain were heavily criticised then for their silent protest, which was seen as a disrespect to the flag, with many falsely accusing Kaepernick’s act as a deliberate protest against the US military.