Fifa countdown ‘prevents’ Chelsea taking knee

CHELSEA didn’t take the knee last night before the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, saying that the FIFA kick-off style of counting down from 10 to one with an MC leading the crowd meant that it was impractical to do so.

Thomas Tuchel’s men, who have observed the gesture in other competitions, had also not taken the knee before their semi-final win over Al Hilal on Wednesday. FIFA said they had no issues with any club taking the knee.