Burnley captain Ben Mee admitted the players were ashamed and embarrassed after an offensive banner was flown over the Etihad stadium before their game with Manchester City.
The Clarets were embarrassed on and off the pitch as an offensive banner was flown above the Etihad Stadium in the early stages of a 5-0 trouncing by City.
The Lancashire club issued a statement strongly condemning those responsible for flying a plane carrying the message ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ at the beginning of their first Premier League outing since the restart.
The aircraft circled the ground moments after all players had taken the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at kick-off.
“We wish to make it clear that those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor,” read a club statement. “This, in no way, represents what Burnley Football Club stands for.”
And Mee echoed those sentiments during an emotional post-match interview as he lambasted those responsible for the gesture.
“We as a group of players condemn it, we’re ashamed, we’re embarrassed,” he told Sky Sports.
“It completely misses the point of what we’re trying to achieve as a football community.
“It’s a minority of our supporters, I know I speak for a massive part of our support who distance ourselves from anything like that. It definitely had a had massive impact on us to see that in the sky.
“We were embarrassed, disappointed, upset. 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. Fans like that don’t deserve to be around football.”
Andros Townsend insists everyone should support Black Lives Matter: “We don’t want to see another life taken because of the colour of their skin.”
