Premier League Could Follow Lionesses And Stop Taking The Knee Before Matches

Premier League clubs could travel nan England Lionesses successful stopping taking nan knee adjacent play amid increasing section among anti-racism campaigners complete nan merits of nan symbolic gesture.

The Premier League is readying to consult pinch nine captains earlier nan commencement of nan run and will past return a determination based connected nan feedback provided successful nan yearly pre-season meeting.

Kick It Out released a connection backing England Lionesses’ determination to extremity taking nan knee astatine nan European Championship arsenic a consequence of nan racist maltreatment directed astatine Jess Carter, but world anti-discrimination group Fare still respect it arsenic a powerful symbol. The Professional Footballers’ Association is besides understood to beryllium supporting England’s players.

Premier League teams person been taking nan knee earlier matches for 5 years since nan Black Lives Matter activity came to world prominence aft nan execution successful nan US of George Floyd. The pre-match motion was introduced aft a petition from nan players and was first seen successful England erstwhile Aston Villa and Sheffield United met successful June 2020 successful nan first Premier League crippled backmost aft nan cessation of unrecorded athletics because of nan Covid-19 pandemic.

England’s men’s and women’s world teams, arsenic good arsenic EFL clubs, followed nan Premier League successful adopting nan believe though astir of those sides person since dropped it. Taking nan knee was scaled backmost successful nan Premier League past play and only took spot earlier nan first and past convention games of nan season, arsenic good arsenic earlier dedicated No Room For Racism fixtures staged successful October and April.

While Kick It Out and nan PFA look ambivalent complete nan worth of nan motion Fare insists that it remains a powerful awesome and argues it is peculiarly important successful nan Premier League, wherever much than a 3rd of nan players are black.

“The taking of nan knee is simply a powerful anti-racist enactment and England Lionesses person shown activity crossed Europe successful taking it for truthful long,” said Fare’s executive director, Piara Power. “Powerful actions are needed correct now to woody pinch issues that are being played retired arsenic we speak.”