Jadon Sancho pays tribute to George Floyd during Bundesliga match, as sports stars voice concerns

Some of sports biggest stars showed their support for George Floyd, adding their voices to the worldwide protests against racism.

Last week, Floyd, a black man, died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for several minutes, sparking protests in cities around the world, in particular in Minneapolis where the incident occurred. 

With little sport being played around the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic, athletes are mainly using social media to spread their messages. 

Those who are playing are doing their best to voice their opinion. 

England football international Jadon Sancho was given a yellow card after revealing a 'Justice for George Floyd' shirt while celebrating a goal for Borussia Dortmund against Paderborn during their Bundesliga match on Monday (NZ time). 

The goal was one of three Sancho scored in the 6-1 win. The card was given as he removed his playing shirt during the match which is against the rules. 

Sancho's team-mate Achraf Hakimi showed the same message when he scored in the 84th-minute. 

In another Bundesliga match, French striker Marcus Thuram knelt after scoring  in a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.

On Sunday, Schalke's Weston McKenniewore wore an armband in his team's defeat to Werder Bremen bearing the words "Justice for George".

Some protests have gotten out of hand in the US, with governors in several states calling in National Guard troops in an attempt to maintain order with some cities set ablaze during clashes with police officers.

Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The death of Floyd has come back to the famous protest made by former NFL star Colin Kaepernick during the 2016 season when he kneaded during the anthem in a pre-season match to call attention to police brutality and racial inequality.

Kaepernick has helped fund, through his charity, the establishment of a legal defence fund for people in Minneapolis who are arrested while protesting against police brutality and the death of Mr Floyd.

Boston Celtics NBA star Jaylen Brown revealed he drove over 15 hours to take part in a peaceful protest march through Atlanta.

Brown streamed part of the march on Instagram, and revealed three people were arrested during the march. 

"Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don't exclude me from no conversations at all. First and foremost," Brown said.

"I'm a black man and I'm a member of this community. ... We're raising awareness for some of the injustices that we've been seeing. It's not OK."

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was a longtime friend of Floyd's, was part of a protest in Minneapolis over the weekend, alongside Minnesota Timberwolves centre Karl-Anthony Towns. 

Kiwi sports stars Israel Adesanya, Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara are among some local athletes who have shared messages of support on social media.