English Premier League players will no longer take the knee ahead of every match. The decision has been made after all the clubs’ captains agreed that the gesture has somewhat lost its impact.The gesture, which was supposed to support the Black Lives Matter movement, rose to prominence following the death of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020. The gesture will instead be seen before certain rounds of games, including the Boxing Day fixtures and Cup finals. Players and staff will also take the knee before the first and last matches of the 2022/23 campaign.##NAJAVA_MECA_6545431##Captains and players are said to believe that ‘less is more’ – hoping when the knee is taken, it will have a greater impact. Club captains issued a statement to explain their decision.”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.”Taking the knee was started by NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the playing of the American anthem as a way to protest against repression.But there are players who abandoned the “compulsory” taking of the knee much earlier. Crystal Palace captain Wilfried Zaha stopped in February 2021, saying at the time that “at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse”.Ahead of the new season, #PL 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. #NoRoomForRacismMore: https://t.co/C8HxAVA9qs pic.twitter.com/vtZ6r9D2E7— Premier League (@premierleague) August 3, 2022 Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told BBC Sport that all the clubs are still in support of the movement.”We met with the captains last week, they’re still totally committed to the issue. For two years now taking the knee has become part of the pre-match ritual. The players fear its losing power and momentum and we will see it take place in a different format. It’s up to the players to decide themselves and we support them in whatever decision they make as do the clubs.”
