The Premier League on Friday announced that it will not take any action against players if they decide to “take a knee” or demonstrate with another gesture to express their solidarity for the anti-racism protests going on in several parts of the globe.

The league, which will resume the 2019-20 season after a hiatus of three months due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, also informed that players will have “Black Lives Matter” written on the back of their jerseys instead of names for the first 12 games.

“The League supports the players’ wish to have their names replaced by “Black Lives Matter” on the back of their shirts for the first 12 matches of the restarted 2019/20 season,” the Premier League said in a statement.

“A Black Lives Matter logo will also feature on shirts for the remainder of the season, along with a badge thanking the NHS for their work during the COVID-19 crisis.

“In addition, the League will support players who “take a knee” before or during matches. The Premier League believes there is no room for racism, anywhere,” England’s top-flight football competition added.

The Premier League’s statement has come in the wake of massive anti-racism protests in several parts of the world after the killing of a black civilian George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, United States of America, last month.

Floyd, aged 46, was choked to death by officer Derek Chauvin. He held Floyd down with a knee on his neck though he repeatedly pleaded, “I can’t breathe,” and “please, I can’t breathe”.

To condemn the brutal action of the officer, protesters have made “taking a knee” or kneeling down on one knee as a symbol of the current movement.

The action has been prevalent in sports as well. NFL player Colin Kapernick had knelt during the national anthem, before one of the games in 2016. His action triggered a movement and black players across many teams had resorted to kneeling during the national anthem to protest against the police violence and racism.

Recently the NFL and the US Soccer Federation said that they would not take action against players bending their knee during the anthem. Earlier, German Bundesliga had also said that it would allow the players to express their solidarity with George Floyd and the ones protesting for him during the matches.