Premier League clubs could follow the England Lionesses in stopping taking the knee next season amid growing division among anti-racism campaigners over the merits of the symbolic gesture.
The Premier League is planning to consult with club captains before the start of the campaign and will then take a decision based on the feedback provided in the annual pre-season meeting.
Kick It Out released a statement backing England Lionesses’ decision to stop taking the knee at the European Championship as a result of the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter, but international anti-discrimination group Fare still regard it as a powerful symbol. The Professional Footballers’ Association is also understood to be supporting England’s players.
Premier League teams have been taking the knee before matches for five years since the Black Lives Matter movement came to global prominence after the murder in the US of George Floyd. The pre-match gesture was introduced after a request from the players and was first seen in England when Aston Villa and Sheffield United met in June 2020 in the first Premier League game back after the cessation of live sport because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
England’s men’s and women’s international teams, as well as EFL clubs, followed the Premier League in adopting the practice although most of those sides have since dropped it. Taking the knee was scaled back in the Premier League last season and only took place before the first and last league games of the season, as well as before dedicated No Room For Racism fixtures staged in October and April.
While Kick It Out and the PFA appear ambivalent over the value of the gesture Fare insists that it remains a powerful symbol and argues it is particularly important in the Premier League, where more than a third of the players are black.
“The taking of the knee is a powerful anti-racist act and England Lionesses have shown leadership across Europe in taking it for so long,” said Fare’s executive director, Piara Power. “Powerful actions are needed right now to deal with issues that are being played out as we speak.”
