An English Premier League captain condemned a fan's 'White Lives Matter' banner in an impassioned interview: 'Fans like that don't deserve to be around football'
- Burnley FC captain Ben Mee says the people who flew a "White Lives Matter" banner over the club's game against Manchester City on Monday "need to come in the 21st Century."
- "I'm ashamed and embarrassed," Mee said after his side's 5-0 defeat. "It's not what we are about at all."
- Mee added in a later interview with BBC Radio 5 Live: "Fans like that don't deserve to be around football."
- Burnley supporter Jake Hepple claimed responsibility for flying the offensive banner, according to The Mirror.
- "I'd like to take this time to apologise .. TO ABSOLUTELY F------ NOBODY!" Hepple reportedly said in a since deleted post on his Facebook.
Burnley FC captain Ben Mee says the people who flew a "White Lives Matter" banner over the club's game against Manchester City "need to come in the 21st Century."
A plane towing the message circled The Etihad Stadium at kickoff on Monday night, just as players had taken a knee to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
"I'm ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to put that around the stadium," Mee said after his side's 5-0 defeat. The group of lads in there are embarrassed to see that.
"It's missed the point of the whole thing that we're trying to achieve. It's not what we are about at all. These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves."
"Fans like that don't deserve to be around football," Mee added in a later interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "We are embarrassed that our name was in it, that they tried to attach it to our club — it doesn't belong anywhere near our club."
Mee was praised for his comments by the former Tottenham and FC Barcelona striker Gary Lineker, who tweeted: "Well said Ben Mee. That's leadership for you."
Jay Rodriguez, Mee's teammate, also tweeted: "Proud of these words from our skipper last night! The individuals behind the banner don't represent the people of our town, our club or our amazing support. Unacceptable."
Burnley supporter Jake Hepple claimed responsibility for flying the offensive banner.
According to The Mirror, Hepple shared a since deleted video of the plane on his Facebook page alongside the caption: "I'd like to take this time to apologise .. TO ABSOLUTELY F------ NOBODY! It's now apparently racist to say white lives matter."
The pilot who flew the plane is now facing a police investigation, with Lancashire Constabulary's East Division Football Unit saying it "will be fully investigating" the incident, according to The Telegraph.
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