(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Soccer Federation has repealed a policy that required its players to stand during the national anthem, saying that it will allow players to best determine how they use their platform to fight racism.
“It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement. The organization said it would let players decide how to use their own platform and support them in fighting for social justice.
U.S. Soccer enacted the controversial Policy 604-1 in 2017 after Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the national anthem. Rapinoe had done so in solidarity with football player Colin Kaepernick’s protests against police brutality and racism.
