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Snooker player takes a knee on live TV in George Floyd gesture

SHANGHAI, CHINA - NOVEMBER 14:  Alfie Burden of England reacts during the first round match against Judd Trump of England on day two of 2017 Shanghai Masters at Shanghai Grand Stage on November 14, 2017 in Shanghai, China.  (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)
Snooker player Alfie Burden. (Visual China Group via Getty Images)

A British snooker player has shown his support for the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee before his match on Wednesday.

Alfie Burden was playing Ryan Day in the Championship League in Milton Keynes and made the gesture just before the match began.

The 43-year-old got down, kneeled and bowed his head, before getting up and raising both hands and pointing to the sky.

The player’s gesture was shown live on television, with the match being broadcast on ITV.

Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May, a number of athletes around the world have made gestures, protests and pledges of support.

With most sports on hiatus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, protests have been predominantly outside of competitions. However, England’s Jadon Sancho was among four players to protest during Bundesliga fixtures in Germany last weekend, with Burden doing his own version in the UK.

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The London-based snooker player was close to playing football professionally, having been part of Arsenal’s youth squad as a teenager. A broken leg ended a potential career in the sport and he turned professional in snooker a few years after the injury.

After the match Burden said: “This was my platform. I stand behind the fight against racism. It’s a disgraceful thing.

“The well-documented death of Floyd has touched everyone.

“There’s no place for racism in society.”