Only a few times has the national team marked itself with political messages on the field – with the kneeling gesture against Belgium, the team is going astray, says professor of sports history.
Over time, the Danish national football team has only gone on the field quite a few times with as clear a political message as was seen on Saturday night, when the players before the match knelt in sympathy with the movement Black Lives Matter.
In fact, it is only in recent times, only when one has wanted to distance oneself from homophobia, that the national team with laces and captain’s armbands has clearly and distinctly marked a position.
According to sports historian and author Hans Bonde, however, there is good reason to be critical of the kneeling gesture in the Park.
He points out that even though it is a point of view that meets with widespread sympathy in the Danish population, the political marking may open the door for other powers to be able to defend the use of athletes politically.
