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Football Association to allow players to take a knee in FA Cup final

London, July 8 (IANS) English football’s governing body Football Association (FA) won’t discipline players for taking a knee in the FA Cup final which is currently scheduled to be played next month.

Footballers across the Premier League have been taking a knee before matches in the support of ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement that has been going on around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police personnel in May.

According to a report published in Sky Sports, the FA believes it is up to the players if and when they choose to take a knee and will be allowed to do so during the final at Wembley Stadium on August 1.

Four teams are currently in contention for a place in the championship clash. Manchester United will take on Chelsea in the first semi-final on July 18 while Manchester City will locks horns against Arsenal on July 19.

Moreover, this year’s FA Cup final has been named as ‘Heads Up FA Cup final’ as Prince Williams continues to spread message with respect to mental health.

The Duke of Cambridge recently came up with a documentary that starred few footballers as well and the idea was to create awareness as to how to deal with mental pressures that tags along with playing sports on different levels.

“We’re going to really use the final as a moment to promote good, positive mental health for everyone,” Prince Williams was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“It’s quite timely bearing in mind what we’ve all been through with this pandemic. I think there’s going to be, sadly, a lot of repercussions from this in society, not just in football, in terms of people’s mental health.

“Hopefully the FA Cup can be a bit of a pivot that people can rally around,” he added.

–IANS

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