Premier League players agree to stop kneeling before every game

August 3 - In a move that looks likely to divide public opinion, Premier League players have agreed to stop regularly kneeling before every kick-off in the new season which starts later this week, instead of running it before specific dates. games.

Leading English clubs, as well as those across Europe, have started the anti-racism gesture in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which rose to prominence after the death of George Floyd in the US in May 2020.

But the Premier League captains made the latest decision to reduce the knee hold after consulting their first-team colleagues. Instead, the gesture will be visible ahead of certain series of games, including Boxing Day games and the Cup Finals.

Players and staff will also take the knee, symbolically, before the first and last games of the 2022-23 campaign.

The gesture was originally inspired by NFL player Colin Kapernick, who protested racial oppression by kneeling during the US national anthem.

Some Premier League captains felt the gesture had run its course and will therefore be used sparingly this year, a compromise having been reached ensures the knee grip remains part of the season but only before some matches. The promoted Bournemouth will not take the knee at all, however.

"We met the captains last week, they are still fully engaged on the issue," Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the BBC.

"For two years the knee hold has been part of the pre-game ritual. Players fear it will lose power and momentum and we will see it play out in a different format.

"It's up to the players to decide for themselves and we support them in all the decisions they make, just like the clubs."

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