NOW LET’S RULE THE WORLD!
TOP-FLIGHT STARS WANT TO STOP TAKING KNEE
PREMIER LEAGUE players want to stop taking the knee before every game. There is concern among top-flight clubs that the anti-racism gesture has lost its impact, and clubs could instead take the knee only before selected high-profile or televised matches. The Premier League’s 20 captains met last week to discuss how to increase the knee’s impact ahead of the coming season. Several top-flight players, including Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha and Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, have stopped taking the knee and have previously expressed concerns that the act has lost its meaning.
And at least one top-flight club will not take the knee at all this season, with players at newly promoted Bournemouth having concluded the gesture has ‘run its course’. Finalised plans are due to be decided by the Premier League captains and announced ahead of Friday night’s opening match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park.
PREMIER LEAGUE stars are set to stop taking the knee before every match, with players now likely to only perform the gesture at selected fixtures. The issue was discussed at a meeting of the 20 club captains last Thursday amid concerns that it has lost its impact. The skippers explored plans for how to proceed ahead of the new season, which kicks off on Friday when Crystal Palace host Arsenal.
Although there remain clubs who are still to discuss the issue with their squads — Newcastle United will consult their team today, for example — sources say there is tangible support for only taking the knee before certain matches in order to ensure its meaning is not lost.
While the desire for equality remains as strong as ever among players, as does the idea of making impactful statements, it is feared the gesture has lost significance.
But how Premier League clubs decide which matches they still do it at remains to be seen.
It could be reserved for televised games, thereby ensuring it is seen weekly by millions worldwide, or decided on a gameby-game basis.
Likewise, players are likely to want to get involved in any ‘No Room For Racism’ campaigns to ensure they are seen to be showing support for the Premier League’s pro-equality action plan.
Concrete plans are due to be announced ahead of Friday’s opener at Selhurst Park, once every club has had the chance to consult their squads and report back to the rest of the group.
The Premier League say they will give their backing to whatever decision is reached by players.
At least one top-flight club will definitely not be taking the knee, with players of Bournemouth having concluded the gesture has ‘run its course’.
Some top players, most notably Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and Chelsea full back Marcos Alonso, have already expressed concerns that it has lost its meaning.
This is not a view shared by everyone — indeed, there remain strong supporters of the gesture among players and allowing individuals to simply decide for themselves is an option.
It was Aston Villa and Sheffield United who first took the knee in the top flight in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minnesota, USA, a month earlier.
However, it did not receive blanket support, with fans at some grounds expressing their opposition by jeering their own players as they performed the ritual.
Premier League clubs announced ahead of the 2021-22 season that they would continue with it as a ‘symbol of our unity against all forms of racism’.
Yet the growing sense that the gesture has lost its gravitas led to a rethink for this season.
Further talks will be held this week before the captains release a statement via the Premier League confirming plans.
Sportsmail reported earlier this week how Gareth Southgate’s England players will continue to take the knee as they prepare for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
England performed the gesture at the men’s Euros last summer and faced an initial backlash from their own fans, which has since died down.
They were also booed by a crowd of 30,000 mostly schoolchildren in Hungary in June, after which Southgate defended his team’s stance.
‘It felt like inherited thinking but I hear it in our stadiums as well,’ the England manager said. ‘That’s why we do it, that’s why we take a stand and we will continue to do it as a team.
‘We are always trying to educate people around the world. I don’t know why people would choose to boo the gesture we make. Young people don’t know what they are doing so much, so they must be influenced by adults.
‘We have made our position clear. People know what we believe and stand for.’
Meanwhile, pre-match handshakes between teams will return to the Premier League for the new season. The ritual was scrapped in March 2020 as part of measures to minimise the risk of spreading Covid at the outset of the pandemic.
Ball boys and girls will also resume holding up the Premier League flag ahead of matches.