Alonso will continue to take a stand on racism

MARCOS ALONSO believes the anti-racism act of taking a knee is in danger of losing its impact and the Chelsea defender broke his silence on refusing to complete the pre-match ritual. Ahead of the season, players agreed to continue making the protest — started during Project Restart — in the continued fight against racism. But Alonso is among only a handful of players who have stopped taking the knee before kick-off, joining Wilfried Zaha and Ivan Toney in standing. Zaha called the act ‘degrading’ earlier this year and Toney said players were being ‘used as puppets’ when asked to take a knee. Alonso (right) said: ‘I am fully against racism and every type of discrimination. I just prefer to put my finger to the badge where it says no to racism, like they do in other sports and football in other countries. ‘Maybe it’s losing a bit of strength the other way, so I just prefer to do it this way and to show I am fully supportive.’ Alonso believes none of his team-mates have a problem with this decision, saying: ‘We haven’t talked about it. We are like a family. I have a very good relationship with everyone. If I have to speak to anyone I will say the same as I told you and I don’t think there will be any problems.’ Alonso has played a key role for Chelsea during their excellent start to the season — they are joint-top of the Premier League after five matches. The Spaniard insists it is the squad’s strength in depth that makes them title-contenders, adding: ‘These days there are so many games that I’m sure we’ll need everyone. It’s very tough this season and it’s going to be tough to stay up there.’