Football 'should do more' in fight against racism, says Porto captain Danilo Pereira
Danilo Pereira led Porto to the Primeira Liga title, and he wants football to step up efforts to rid the game of racism and discrimination.
Football must not let its powerful opposition to racism fade into the background, Porto captain Danilo Pereira has warned.
The death of George Floyd in police custody in the United States in May sparked an increase in action by campaigners against police brutality and racial injustice, along with growing support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
It has led to sports including football stepping up efforts to banish discrimination, with prominent action being taken in England's Premier League where the gesture of taking a knee has preceded every match since lockdown ended.
There have been examples of players kneeling in other European leagues, too, following the lead set by NFL star Colin Kaepernick, whose protests during the US national anthem in the 2016 season were criticised by President Donald Trump.
Danilo, who has been linked with a possible move to Arsenal, told Stats Perform News: "I think we should be doing more because sometimes people forget about these things, like, four or five weeks later they forget about this.
"So I think we should do more, because as players we have a lot of influence in other people.
"When we do something big, other people follow us so we could do something more.
"This is a really difficult issue to speak about because some people don't understand what we are talking about, because they think we are only talking about black people.
"But this is not only about black people, it's about every other race in the world, so I think we should do more and also other people should do more."
There is a school of thought that footballers should leave the pitch when racism occurs, with UEFA's three-step protocol designed to tackle the issue.
Danilo, who led Porto to the 2020 Primeira Liga title, says players would be better carrying on amid abuse, suggesting stopping games as a reaction is letting the racists win.
"I think the best way is to continue to play and to score goals," Danilo said. "If you score and if you win the game they will be mad, so this is the best way. But I understand the people who leave the pitch, who have a different reaction – sometimes to shoot the ball into the crowd.
"I think when they shout [at] you they want this reaction from you, to leave the pitch, to be mad. So, for me, if you do that, the people who do that get the reaction they want."
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