Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor has reiterated his stance over not taking the knee before games.
Last season, the 31-year-old hit out at the group Black Lives Matter and said he felt the meaning of the pre-match anti-racism gesture had been lost, after it began when football returned in June 2020.
Players have continued to kneel just before kick-off in fixtures this term, and the Football Association said of the England team’s decision to do so during Euro 2020 that it was not “aligned to a political organisation or ideology”.
Taylor, though, says he will continue to remain standing, but his message in the fight for equality remains the same.
“I’d like to say I don’t think it’s overly important whether I take the knee or not,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I stand with my fellow professionals and I stand with the people who, let’s say, are not given the same opportunities as they maybe feel they should. I stand shoulder to shoulder with those people.
“I make no bones about that.
“I’ve said from the very beginning that it’s not for me to be supportive of an organisation like that.
“It’s great that it’s now been clarified that that’s not what it’s about, but I will continue to stand.
“The message is the same, whether I kneel or whether I stand. We do have issues in this country with equality, whether that’s in the workplace, in society in general and in football stadiums.
“But by the same token, I think we can make a statement regardless of whether we take the knee or we don’t.”
He added: “I’m not going to say it’s an empty gesture, because if people choose to take the knee, then who am I to judge?
“But by the same token, I feel, does it not make just as strong a statement - if not stronger - if we stand; if we had a five-second break where we said, this is what this is for?
“I don’t know. That’s not for me to decide.
“I play football. My sole focus is to go and win games of football. I’m not focused on whether I’m going to kneel down or whether I’m going to stand.”
