Sky Sports pundits deal fresh blow to BLM as they all ditch badges and wear ‘Kick It Out’ logos instead… but TV rivals on BT Sport – including Rio Ferdinand – continue to show their support despite row over far-left ideology
- Sky Sports pundits have ditched the Black Lives Matter badges on Saturday
- The guest panel instead wore Kick It Out emblems in support of that campaign
- But BT Sport’s experts continue to wear BLM badges despite recent controversy
- Concern was raised over a far-left ideology after a series of social media posts
Black Lives Matter badges were again absent from Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage – with most guest pundits on Soccer Saturday instead choosing to support football-focused anti-racism charity Kick It Out.
Host Jeff Stelling and experts Clinton Morrison, Paul Merson and Matt Le Tissier all donned the other campaign’s badges just days after concern was raised over the Black Lives Matter movement’s ideology.
Glen Johnson opted not to support either campaign, however, after Sky allowed pundits to make their own decisions over whether to wear the emblems.
But for BT Sport’s broadcast of Norwich’s clash against Brighton during the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, every guest was wearing BLM badges.
Black Lives Matter badges were again absent from Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage
The pundits on Soccer Saturday had instead chosen to support the Kick It Out movement
But Rio Ferdinand (pictured), Robbie Savage and Steve Sidwell wore BLM badges on BT Sport
Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Savage and Steve Sidwell joined Jake Humphrey for the programme and supported the BLM movement in a stark contrast to their peers on Sky Sports.
Footballers have also taken a knee to show solidarity with the movement before kick-off – and the players for the Norwich game were no different.
The stars lined up as usual before the first whistle and crouched to the ground, along with coaching staff and officials at the ground.
The Premier League has distanced itself from BLM, but players in top flight matches still sport ‘Black Lives Matter’ patches on their sleeves after George Floyd’s death in the United States in May.
And since the league returned on June 17, Sky Sports presenters have worn the badges featuring the campaign’s slogan after the coronavirus outbreak.
But Roy Keane, Graeme Souness, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards were all pictured without the badges as they analysed top flight fixtures Manchester City v Liverpool and Sheffield United v Tottenham on Thursday night.
Jamie Redknapp hasn’t worn the emblem since Tuesday, and once again opted to ditch it when analysing the same games in the Sky Sports studio.
Host Jake Humphrey was among those to continue supporting the campaign on Saturday
Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane ditched the Black Lives Matter badge on air on Thursday night
Micah Richards also didn’t appear to wear a BLM badge during the night’s top flight coverage
Jamie Redknapp, who hasn’t worn the emblem since Tuesday, was seen without a BLM badge
However, question marks were raised after a series of tweets was released by BLM which had criticised Israel and also called on the UK government to ‘defund the police’.
Premier League chiefs are not expected to ditch the BLM badge on shirts after making the distinction between the actual cause and the group itself.
The top flight has said that it recognises ‘the importance of the message that black lives matter’, without referring to the organisation’s name in upper case.
It also emphasised that it ‘does not endorse any political organisation or movement, nor support any group that calls for violence or condones illegal activity.’
Kick It Out has expressed no political ideology, unlike the BLM movement.
The BBC have outright banned their pundits and guests from wearing BLM badges after the recent storm.
On Sunday’s Match of the Day both Alan Shearer and Richards weren’t wearing BLM badges
Former Manchester City star Richards had also been pictured not wearing the emblem on TV
A senior source at the corporation is quoted as telling the Daily Telegraph that bosses did not want ‘visual symbols of support’ for the movement to be worn on screen.
On Sunday’s Match of the Day highlight show, neither Alan Shearer or former Manchester City star Richards had donned the emblem.
The BBC source told the Daily Telegraph: ‘The BBC cannot be seen to support any kind of cause over another, and Black Lives Matter is certainly a campaign.
‘Therefore we wouldn’t want anyone on-screen to be wearing visual symbols of support. Our presenters and guests can discuss Black Lives Matter, and we’ve reported on it in depth.
‘We’re not impartial about racism. But wearing badges on screen – as with any other campaign – would be a step too far.’