Burnley embarrassed by controversial banner flown over Etihad Stadium
Burnley authorities vowed to find the people responsible for flying the "White Lives Matters" banner over the stadium.
A controversial and embarrassing banner reading "White Lives Matter Burnley" was flown over the Etihad Stadium by an aeroplane during Monday's Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley.
The aeroplane hovered over the stadium for a few minutes just after kick-off. In the end, Manchester City registered a dominating 5-0 win in the game against 11th-ranked Burnley.
Interestingly, the banner was flown after Burnley and City players took a knee as a gesture of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Burnley captain Ben Mee said, "Fans like that don't deserve to be around football. We're ashamed, we're embarrassed. It's a minority of our supporters - I know I speak for a massive part of our support who distance ourselves from anything like that. It definitely had a massive impact on us to see that in the sky. We are embarrassed that our name was in it, that they tried to attach it to our club - it doesn't belong anywhere near our club."
According to the BBC, Burnley authorities later said that the banner "in no way represents" the club's values and that they will work to identify those who are responsible for the incident and they would take appropriate action against them.
Players of both Burnley and City wore shirts with the players' names replaced with "Black Lives Matter."
City's Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez scored two goals each as the hosts displayed their deep strength.
Foden scored the first for his side in the 22nd minute, when he drilled a low shot past Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.
In the 43rd minute, Mahrez made it 2-0, courtesy of a brilliant finish after collecting a long pass from Fernandinho and dribbling past the visitors' defence.
Moments before halftime, City scored from a penalty after a VAR review ruled that Burnley's Mee had fouled Sergio Aguero inside the box. Mahrez didn't fail to convert from the spot.
Six minutes into the second half, David Silva scored the fourth for his side. In the 63rd minute, Foden nailed the fifth for the hosts.
City's victory on Monday meant that runaway leaders Liverpool would now have to wait longer before they could officially lift their first Premier League title after 30 years. The Reds are scheduled to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
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