Yokayi host and ABC Breakfast's sports presenter Tony Armstrong has taken aim at a South African cricketer who refused to take the knee before a match.
Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock scotched his appearance in a Twenty20 World Cup match against the West Indies, after Cricket South Africa ordered the team to make the recognised gesture in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Armstrong questioned the former skipper's decision.
“We’ve seen sporting teams right around the world start to get behind this movement,” he said on Wednesday morning.
“So for him to not do that, all that I think — and this is my own personal opinion — the question has been bubbling in my mind is how racist do you have to be?
"You’ve got to be pretty strong on your conviction not to."
De Kock stated that he objected to a mandated instruction to take the knee, calling it a "token gesture".
Yokayi and ABC host Tony Armstrong questioned the cricketer's decision not to take a knee. Source: Getty Images Europe
He could be in trouble with Cricket South Africa (CSA) seeking a report from the team management.
"...(CSA) has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to 'take the knee' ahead of Tuesday's game against the West Indies," the CSA said in a statement.
"The Board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps."
CSA Board chairperson Lawson Naidoo said a commitment to overcoming racism "is the glue that should unite" the team.
"Diversity can and should find expression in many facets of our daily lives, but not when it comes to taking a stand against racism," Naidoo said.
