Now, this is a loaded gesture.
Arsenal captain tonight, Alex Lacazette, made a grand statement ahead of kick-off in Prague tonight by ‘taking the knee’ directly in front of the lined-up Slavia team.
Lacazette ✊❤️ pic.twitter.com/aHlh1SYr00
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 15, 2021
Given all that has gone on recently with the purported ‘action’ from UEFA, just what is the point of ‘respect’ and ‘equal game’ corporate branding?
Captain fantastic Alex Lacazette means business tonight 👊 pic.twitter.com/bJH8LnMbws
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) April 15, 2021
The Gunners striker took a forward stride, assumed the position and then held a firm, stern, stare directly into his opponents.
It seems very difficult to refute that this was not a show of solidarity with Glen Kamara.
Tomorrow’s headlines will feature this gesture and the image, regardless of the final score.
At the time of writing, Arsenal are in a very strong position with a 0-3 lead at half-time, 4-1 on aggregate.
This Europa League quarter-final clash comes following the 10 game ban slapped against Slavia’s Ondrej Kudela, who is now set to miss EURO 2020 as a consequence of racially abusing Glen Kamara at Ibrox.
Some contrition may follow eventually, but there will be scant sympathy in Glasgow.