Latest news with #takingtheknee
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Premier League could follow Lionesses and stop taking the knee before matches
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. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion '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.'
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Premier League could follow Lionesses and stop taking the knee before matches
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. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion '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.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
David Lammy says moment for taking the knee has 'probably passed' after Lionesses said they will no longer use anti-racism gesture before matches
has suggested the time for taking the knee has 'probably passed' after the Lionesses said they will no longer use the gesture before matches. The Foreign Secretary said kneeling had been adopted at a 'moment in time' after the murder of George Floyd in the US. He also insisted he had not seen people making the gesture for 'some years' - even though it routinely happens at football games. The England women's team has announced they will not take the knee before kick-off after one of their stars Jess Carter was subjected to racist abuse during the Euros tournament. In a statement, the Lionesses said 'another way' needed to be found to tackle racism and football must look at 'what more can be done'. Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner were among the senior politicians pictured taking the knee at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. However, the roots of the protest go back much further, including Colin Kaepernick using it in the NFL in 2016. Asked on Times Radio this morning about the gesture, Mr Lammy said: 'I think that was a moment in time after the murder of George Floyd. 'I think that moment has probably passed. I haven't seen actually for some years people using that particular gesture.' The Tottenham MP - a Spurs fan - stressed that football had come a long way since the 1970s but highlighted that problems persist. "I think that football has done a lot, since I started going to watch matches with my father at Spurs back in the 1970s, to bear down on racism across the sport,' he said. 'But clearly there is more to do and it's distressing and very sad that these young players are receiving racism in the way that they are. 'I think the overwhelming majority of people that go and watch is now very much a family game go with a pure heart and are certainly not going to dish out abuse on women playing football. 'It's for players and communities to show their concern about supporting a space that is free from abuse in the way that they think best appropriate."
