Yahoo Finance U.S. Soccer to call special meeting to review national anthem policy
The United States Soccer Federation will call a special board meeting Tuesday to discuss repealing the rule that requires national team players to stand during the national anthem — which was adopted in 2017 after U.S. women’s star Megan Rapinoe knelt in solidarity with then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of police brutality against the African American community — multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle broke the news on Twitter.
The stipulation has come to the fore in the wake of global protests following the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody in Minnesota last month. A source with knowledge of the situation said new U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, the federation’s first woman president who as a player helped the USWNT win the 1999 World Cup, would like to see the rule changed.
It could be when U.S. Soccer’s board votes on the issue later this week. If successful, the change would go into effect immediately. However, it would not be permanently adopted until U.S. Soccer’s full membership — which overwhelmingly approved it three years ago — voted at the annual general meeting early next year.
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