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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Davies

Premier League players taking a knee should replace pre-match handshakes, says Kick It Out chair

Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari believes replacing pre-match handshakes with players taking a knee when football in England returns would be a great way to show solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement.

There have been numerous demonstrations across the globe following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, with an abundance of sporting individuals and teams joining in the protests.

England international Jadon Sancho displayed the message "Justice for George Floyd" after scoring against Paderborn in the Bundesliga and, while footballing law states players are not to express political opinion on the pitch, Fifa president Gianni Infantino insisted those protesting "deserve an applause and not a punishment".

Bhandari has been encouraged by both Fifa's and the German Football Association's decision not to take action against the likes of Sancho and urges players to make the most of this unique opportunity to boost the anti-racism message.

Bhandari told the PA news agency: "I think it's at the point now where something should be organised - I would love to see every club doing something together but it has to be completely up to the players.

"It would be a fantastic signal if every club took a knee before a game. You can't shake hands before kick-off, so maybe they could replace it with a new pre-match ritual.

"We're having some conversations to see what the appetite is. I think it would be a strong gesture of solidarity if everybody took a knee, but it would be an even stronger symbol if it came from the players."

PA state the Premier League will turn a blind eye to players taking a knee during matches, while the FA have said they will take a "common sense" approach.

And while Bhandari believes the anti-racism message is moving in the right direction, he says its time to move "beyond these gestures and confront these structural inequalities".

"It is a small but significant step and I certainly value and appreciate that FIFA and UEFA and the FA have got it right in their response, judging by the tone and the public mood," he said.

"All these gestures are important but our challenge now is to go beyond these gestures and confront these structural inequalities, not just in football but in society, politics and business.

"For those people who are influencers, who have provided these gestures of solidarity, I've got one request - you need to stay involved.

"We are going to need your help to solve those structural problems. We are going to need teamwork and determination and once the media spotlight has gone we need to carry on spreading the message."

Additional reporting by PA.

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