“Any player or official” is allowed to do so, UEFA told dpa
on Sunday after the match between Belgium and Russia on Saturday evening.
Before the kick-off in St Petersburg, the Belgian players
and the referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz took the knee.
There were loud whistles and boos from the crowd at the
arena.
Belgium won the game 3-0.
The action of kneeling ahead of a sports event began in 2016
when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick did so in the U.S. to protest against
racism.
“We urge spectators to show respect to players and teams who
take the knee,” UEFA said, referring to its “zero tolerance” of racism.
Everyone is allowed to stand up for equal rights, it said.
Before the Euros, players of the England national team also
took the knee before their friendly games against Austria and Romania.