Premier League players make decision on anti-racism gesture of taking the knee

Premier League players have decided they’ll perform the anti-racism gesture of taking the knee twice during Black History Month this season.

The Lionesses scrapped the gesture during Euro 2025 this summer after claiming that it had lost its impact – with England star Jess Carter facing online racist abuse during the women’s football tournament in Switzerland.

Taking the knee became a popular anti-racism gesture in England five years ago – inspired by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick – who started performing it in 2016 in protest of racial inequality and police brutality in the USA.

The gesture became more widely used in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a police officer in the USA and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which followed.

Taking the knee has largely split opinion among football fans in England – with some supporters applauding the gesture when it has been been performed ahead of kick-off in matches – and others deciding to boo, because of some calls within the BLM movement to defund the police.

The gesture isn’t as widely used as it was five years ago – but is still sometimes seen in the top-flight of English football – and players have now made a fresh decision on taking the knee ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Following a meeting of Premier League club captains on Thursday, it has been decided that players will take the knee twice this term, with the gesture set to be performed in October to mark Black History Month.

Kick It Out reveals record number of reported abuse cases during the 2024-25 season

Kick It Out says it received record-high reports of discrimination during the 2024-25 season.

The number of racist incidents in the professional game increased from 223 to 245.

There were 621 reports of online abuse submitted – a 5 per cent rise on last year – with 268 of those related to racism.

Why did the Lionesses stop taking the knee?

England’s men’s team stopped performing the gesture following the last World Cup in 2022 – but their female counterparts continued with it until making a fresh decision during the Euro 2025 tournament after Carter faced online racist abuse.

In a collective statement the Lionesses said: ‘Representing our country is the greatest honour. It is not right that while we are doing that, some of us are treated ­differently ­simply because of the colour of our skin.

‘Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches. It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick‑off [in the semi-final against Italy].’

England star Lucy Bronze added: ‘We feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard?

‘Because, to us, it feels like it’s not, if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives.

‘It’s about putting another statement out there to say it’s something that still is a problem, it’s something that still needs to be put right. More needs to be done in football, more needs to be done in society. What that is right now as an individual, I don’t exactly know.

‘But it’s something that us collectively as a team and as a federation want to work towards, we want to make changes. This is a small step trying to create another change.

‘We know the people higher up are the ones who can ultimately put in things to make change. But I think we know we’re never helpless as players and our voices are loud enough to be heard by people around the world, whether that is social media platforms or federations like UEFA and FIFA.

‘I think that’s something we’re very proud of as a Lionesses team, that we’ve created this voice and a platform and we can reach the highest of heights.

‘We’re willing to use that platform and that voice to make differences. The sentiment of taking a knee and then standing, as small as that might seem to some people, I think noise will be reached around the world.’

ITV football pundit Ian Wright said: ‘I think the decision to take the knee should always have been a personal thing.

‘If you want to take the knee, take it. It was almost forced on people. If I was playing now and with everything the knee represents – if you go back to Colin Kaepernick and injustice and inequality and everything that goes with it – I would still take the knee. Even if I had to do it on my own.’

Kick It Out, a UK-based anti-discrimination charity, said in a statement: ‘We support players in whatever actions they choose to take to signify their support in the fight against racism, but the focus should be on the reason behind those actions rather than the actions themselves.

‘Social media companies have failed to prevent exposure to this toxicity, and football must continue to use its collective power to hold them to account. We have been working with the government and the regulator, but we know that more urgency is needed from everyone involved.’