As the match between Manchester City and Burnley at the Etihad Stadium began, a 'White Lives Matter Burnley' banner was flown by a plane over City's home ground.
The display came just moments after the players on the pitch finished kneeling to show support for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement and there has been no confirmation as to who paid for the banner to be displayed.
Speaking about the same in the post-match interview, Burnley's captain Ben Mee condemned the move, saying he is "ashamed and embarrassed."
"It was a tough night. We can talk about football but there is something I would like to speak about first - the plane at the beginning of the game,” said the Englishman.
“I’m ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to put that around the stadium. Completely misses the point. The group of lads in the changing room are embarrassed to see that. It is not what we are about. They have missed what we are trying to achieve. These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves.
“They don't represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about.”
Since the resumption of Premier League, all 20 top-flight clubs have been taking a knee to show their support with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement and have also replaced their names with the message 'Black Lives Matter' on their jerseys.
After seeing this banner of 'White Lives Matter', Burnley condemned the act, saying this is not what the club is all about.
"We wish to make it clear that those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor. This, in no way, represents what Burnley Football Club stands for and we will work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and issue lifetime bans. The club has a proud record of working with all genders, religions, and faiths through its award-winning Community scheme, and stands against racism of any kind," Burnley FC said in an official statement.
"We are fully behind the Premier League's 'Black Lives Matter' initiative and, in line with all other Premier League games undertaken since Project Restart, our players and football staff willingly took the knee at kick-off at Manchester City. We apologise unreservedly to the Premier League, to Manchester City, and to all those helping to promote Black Lives Matter," the statement added.
The 'Black Lives Matter' movement has gained momentum after an African-American man named George Floyd passed away after a viral video indicated that a police officer identified as Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd.
In the match between Manchester City and Burnley, the former ended up winning the match 5-0.
(with inputs from ANI)
