Black Lives Matter: Players will back anti-racism stance, says Marvin Bartley
- Published
Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn taking a knee before kick off in a Premier League match
Players should decide if they want to endorse the Black Lives Matter message, says Livingston captain Marvin Bartley, who thinks support would be widespread.
Sportspeople have been taking a knee at events across the world, backing the anti-racism movement.
And charity Show Racism The Red Card has called on the Scottish Professional Football League to support the gesture.
"It's extremely important we show unity," said Bartley, who revealed that all of his team-mates back the idea.
"Discussions have been going on, players have been asked if they'll be willing to do it and every player from my club has said yes, 100%.
"I expect the same across the board. I definitely think it's something you should have the option to do at the very least.
"But I don't think anybody should be forced to do it. So I think that puts the league in a very difficult situation."
Having previously indicated that it was a matter of individual choice, the SPFL say it "expects to be in a position to offer clarity in the coming days".
Earlier, Show Racism The Red Card's Jordan Allison told BBC Scotland: "The SPFL says it's up to the players if they want to take the knee. We feel it should be a stronger message than that.
"The SPFL now has a fantastic opportunity to respond to this growing movement."
Bartley, formerly with Hibernian, Burnley and Bournemouth, said it was "encouraging" to see all players, staff and officials taking a knee before games in England.
He added: "Hopefully it has a knock-on effect for the rest of society and we say 'it's 2020 now and that's enough of people being judged on the colour of their skin'.
"A young kid might say to their parents 'what's this about?' and it opens a discussion. It's about educating future generations. Let's aim to eradicate racism completely and if we can help through our status then why not?"
The midfielder says strict liability rules around racism would be "the dream", believing the threat of penalties would encourage "self-policing" from fans.
"Someone might shout racist abuse and the people around them definitely heard them but they might not want to be seen as a grass," he said. "It would be a lot more accepted if that club was going to get a hefty fine or lose points through the actions of one person.
"Then it's nipped in the bud and people realise they can't get away with it. I don't understand why clubs would refuse that."