Sheffield Wednesday icon Viv Anderson slams 'unacceptable' booing of anti-discrimination gesture

Gareth Southgate, his players, the FA and several supporter groups have made it clear the gesture of taking the knee is not political. Southgate has repeatedly explained the reasoning behind the squad stance; for equality, inclusivity and against racial injustice.

Some people in the stadium jeered the gesture during the England warm-up games for the tournament and while it was eventually drowned out by the applause of the majority, the booing threatens to roll on as a talking point well into the tournament itself.

Former Sheffield Wednesday defender Viv Anderson, the first black England player, believes those that stood up against the booing minority did the right thing.

“The more people stand up and applaud, the more they drown them out and hopefully the message will get across to these people – it’s just not acceptable in 2021,” he told the PA news agency.

“You would think people getting back into stadiums and watching live sport again, they would jump at the chance but it turns out they want to boo their own players for taking the knee, I just find it bizarre to say the least.

“They should be in there trying to encourage the players to put in a good performance and encourage them to win the football match they have been starved of for many, many months. I just don’t understand it.

“My view is taking the knee is a powerful statement. It’s a big tournament and people will be watching it all over the world and if it’s one person who says, ‘why are they taking the knee?’ and then find out the real reasons why they are doing that, hopefully it will help other people in the future.

“Hopefully they educate a few more people and they take it on board what they’re trying to achieve.”

Anderson made 30 England appearances across 10 years from 1978 to 1988, scoring two goals.

He joined Wednesday during the 1990/91 season under Ron Atkinson and secured promotion to the First Division within months before the enjoying their flurry of Wembley appearances two years later.

And he explained the pride he felt in becoming the the first black man to pull on the Three Lions.

“I loved playing for England,” he said. “I loved putting the shirt on and I’m a big royalist anyway so every time I was called up I jumped at the chance to play for my country,” he said.

“To be first at anything is an unbelievable achievement. For me to be the first full black (England) international is a great honour and even to this day I go to London and people remember my debut.

“I always remember (former Manchester United team-mate) Norman Whiteside, he’s still the youngest player to score in the World Cup, younger than Pele, and he said, ‘my legacy will be beaten one day; yours will never be beaten’, which is great.”