Premier League players agree to change their stance on taking the knee ahead of the 2022/23 season following a discussion.
Top-flight footballers are to continue with the anti-discrimination gesture during the new campaign – which gets underway on Friday night when Crystal Palace host Arsenal.
However, players have decided not to take a knee before every match following talks led by the captains of all 20 Premier League clubs.
BREAKING: Premier League players will stop taking the knee before every game and will instead use the gesture at specific moments during the season to amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society. pic.twitter.com/3h5Xeboq8r
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 3, 2022
Instead, teams will only perform the act on specific occasions instead of doing it before every match
Those times will include the periods of the season during which the campaign No Room For Racism is active, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals, Boxing Day and the first and final match week of the season.
Club skippers met last week to talk about a number of issues, including taking the knee.
While a number still supported continuing with the pre-game stance, there were opposing views from some who felt the gesture had run its course.
A compromise has now been found to ensure taking the knee remains part of the season, but only ahead of certain matches.
Bournemouth, however, will not take the knee at all next season while Swansea and Bristol City are among the clubs in the EFL who have confirmed they will not be taking the knee.
While support for equality remains as strong as ever among footballers, as does the idea of making impactful statements, there was some hesitation during a meeting of Premier League captains last Thursday to make a definitive decision on how to proceed next season – but a resolution has now been found.
The act of taking the knee before every Premier League game came into effect in 2020 during Project Restart as a show of racial solidarity during the Black Lives Matter movement following the brutal much publicised death of George Floyd in the USA.
The gesture has continued ever since in the face of criticism from certain circles that the act had political connotations.
Sources have indicated over the summer that certain figures were keen for the salute to be scrapped because it was proving too divisive.
In February 2021, Wilfried Zaha became the first Prem player to stop taking the knee.
“I feel like taking a knee is degrading,” he told the FT Business of Football conference. “Growing up, my parents just let me know that I should just be proud to be black, no matter what, and I just think we should stand tall.
“I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now. That’s not enough. I’m not going to take the knee.
“I’m not going to wear Black Lives Matter on the back of my shirt because it feels like it’s a target.”
“We are trying to say we are equal but these things are not working,” he said. “Unless there’s change, don’t ask me about it. Unless action is going to happen I don’t want to hear about it.”
Brentford’s players also stopped taking the knee around the same time after deciding football’s anti-discrimination gesture “no longer” has impact. In September 2020, QPR’s director of football Les Ferdinand, said the impact of the gesture had become diluted, comparing it to “a fancy hashtag or a nice pin badge”.
A survey by the Professional Footballers’ Association in December 2020 found there was still overwhelming support among players for taking a knee before kick-off.
In February 2021, England manager Gareth Southgate insisted the gesture was still hugely powerful in keeping the fight against racial inequality and injustice at the forefront of people’s minds.
“Every player that does is very clear that the protest is against the lack of opportunity, it is anti-racism, it is supporting our teammates and staff that work with us,” he said. “It is a unifying act every time I see it. Although I heard people saying it is becoming less impactful, I didn’t feel that because every time I go to a game and I see it I think it is hugely powerful.”
PREMIER LEAGUE STATEMENT:
The Premier League has this morning released the following statement regarding taking the knee during the upcoming season.
Ahead of the new season, Premier League club captains have reaffirmed their commitment to fighting racism and all forms of discrimination.
The players have decided to use specific moments during the upcoming campaign to take the knee, to amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society.
The Premier League supports the players’ decision and, alongside the clubs, will use these opportunities to elevate anti-racism messaging as part of the League’s No Room for Racism Action Plan.
Players will take the knee during the opening match round of the season, dedicated No Room for Racism match rounds in October and March, Boxing Day fixtures following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Premier League matches on the final day of the season and The FA Cup and EFL Cup Finals.
The Premier League captains said: “We have decided to select significant moments to take the knee during the season to highlight our unity against all forms of racism and in so doing we continue to show solidarity for a common cause . We remain resolutely committed to eradicate racial prejudice, and to bring about an inclusive society with respect and equal opportunities for all.”
A total of £238,000 will be donated to designated youth clubs on behalf of the Premier League captains after £119,000 was raised from the royalties of the ‘No Room For Racism’ sleeve badges sold on club shirts last season. The Premier League has matched the figure raised from the badges as part of the contribution to those clubs.
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