Premier League players refuse to take knee as anti-racism initiative returns

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 18 Oct, 14:56 · Archive

Multiple Premier League players declined to take the knee during the Premier League's 'No Room For Racism' month of action.

Multiple Premier League players refused to take the knee as the Premier League reintroduced the anti-racism gesture for its 'No Room For Racism' month of action beginning in mid-October. Manchester City's Marc Guehi, Issa Diop and Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles declined to kneel before their matches on Saturday, while Bournemouth's Rayan and Tyler Adams did the same against Sunderland. Fans also booed the gesture at Leeds United ahead of their match against Manchester United.

The Premier League stated its 'commitment to tackling discrimination and highlight the importance of diversity in football'. Taking the knee was reintroduced on a limited basis, occurring only during match rounds that fall within the 'No Room For Racism' initiative, which occurs twice per season following agreement between Premier League captains.

Several players have previously expressed concerns about the gesture's effectiveness. Former Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha described kneeling as 'degrading', saying 'I feel like taking the knee is degrading, because growing up my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be Black no matter what and I feel like we should just stand tall'. Ivan Toney has said players 'are being used as puppets'. The reasons why the players who refused to kneel this week made their decision have not yet been stated.

How it is being reported

• Fans boo footballers taking the knee as MORE Premier League stars reject the anti-racism gesture with growing doubts over its impactBournemouth stars Rayan and Tyler Adams rejected taking the knee, while the gesture was loudly booed at Leeds United, as doubts over the anti-racism gesture's impact continue to grow.Daily Mail Sport · 18 Oct, 14:32
• Premier League trio including Man City star refuse to take knee as initiative returnsPremier League matches have seen the reintroduction of taking the knee, but several players opted to stand while the anti-racism gesture was being observed before kick-off on SaturdayMirror Sport · 17 Oct, 17:14

In this story: Marc Guehi · Issa Diop · Ainsley Maitland-Niles · Rayan · Tyler Adams · Manchester City · Premier League · Leeds United

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