The top-tier English football league, also known as Premier League, has been the mouthpiece of several social movements across the country, Europe, and even the world. This Christmas, however, the League has decided not to allow its team to support a social cause, as it violates their rules.
According to the reports of Sky Sports, the British charity named Shelter, which supports the homeless, has started a new campaign in which it asked English teams playing at home to ditch their home jerseys. They even shared a tweet regarding the same, which read: “the idea is simple but powerful: this Boxing day, clubs and fans ditch their home colors for away or third kit, showing support for people who don’t have a safe home.” The report also said that the players’ unused shirts were to be signed and then auctioned for charity.
The Premier League didn’t allow the clubs to continue with the act, though. The statement clearly stated that the League receives several requests from charities every season. And they encourage the players and clubs to support those ideas, given that it is “compliance with Premier League rules.”
Sky Sports reported Osama Bhutta, the director of campaigns at Shelter, saying, “We believe ‘Home’ means everything. We want to use the positive power of football this Christmas to raise awareness of homelessness and what we can do to fight it.” Players like Gary Neville, former England defender, have tweeted in support of the campaign by Shelter. He urged players and clubs to push harder, believing that it could force the League to change its decision.
