The Swedish women’s national soccer team took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement during a European cup qualifier match with Hungary this week.
Captain of the national side Caroline Seger stated that the gesture, which was notably kicked off by American football player and political activist Colin Kaepernick in 2016 during the playing of United States national anthem, is something her team supported.
“Of course, it’s incredibly important. We are a national team that has those values and wants to stand behind such a great thing that is incredibly important. All people should be treated equally, and we want to be clear about that as a national team. It’s important to us,” Seger told broadcaster SVT.
The team took the knee before the match against Hungary, which the Swedes won 8-0 on Thursday.
The Swedish team also plans to make the gesture at their upcoming match against the Icelandic women’s team. The Danish women’s team has announced they will be taking a knee at their two European Cup qualifying matches, as well.
In the UK earlier this month, many English Premier League players took a knee during their opening matches of the season, despite the BLMUK branch drawing criticism for several controversial Twitter posts in recent months.
Other sports in the UK, such as the England cricket team, have refused to take a knee in support of the movement. In a three-match series earlier this month, neither English nor Australian players made the gesture in support of BLM.
England rugby star Billy Vunipola also rejected the move, saying he did not support BLM. “We were asked if we wanted to take a knee or not, and what I saw in terms of that movement [Black Lives Matter] was not aligned with what I believe in. They were burning churches and Bibles. I can’t support that,” he said.