Dortmund's Jadon Sancho dedicates goal to U.S. protests

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho removed his jersey to reveal a "Justice for George Floyd" slogan after scoring against Paderborn on Sunday.

Floyd, who is black, died in police custody in Minnesota after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. The incident sparked violent protests in cities across the United States.

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Sancho, 20, scored a hat trick -- all three goals coming in the second half -- in Dortmund's 6-1 victory.

The England international was booked for removing his jersey -- an act that is against football rules.

Earlier in the day, Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram took a knee after scoring his first goal on Sunday in honour of ongoing protests in the United States following the death of Floyd.

Taking to Instagram after the game, Thuram posted a photo of himself kneeling with the caption: Together is how we move forward. Together is how we make a change."

Protests have now spread to Europe with people gathering in London and Berlin.

Gladbach tweeted an image of Thuram kneeling with the caption: "No explanation needed."

The forward's kneeling was similar to a gesture made by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in 2016 began kneeling during the U.S. national anthem to protest police brutality.

Thuram's father Lilian, a retired professional footballer and a 1998 World Cup-winner with France, is an anti-racism activist and UNICEF ambassador.

On Saturday, U.S. international and Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie also displayed his support for Floyd, wearing an armband with the message: "Justice for George." On Sunday, McKennie posted his support for Thuram on Instagram.

Thuram followed up his first goal with a second after 59 minutes, giving Gladbach a 3-1 lead against Union Berlin after the capital side had equalised just after half-time.

Alassane Plea, who assisted both of Thuram's goals, sealed Gladbach's win with a fourth goal in the 81st minute and the game ended 4-1.

After the game, Thuram led celebrations for teammate Mamadou Doucoure who made his first-team debut four years after signing for the club. Doucoure has suffered several injuries which have prevented him from appearing for the club since he signed in 2016.

source https://unv2news.blogspot.com/2020/05/dortmunds-jadon-sancho-dedicates-goal.html