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 in the course of the women’s football tournament in Switzerland.
Taking the knee became a well-liked anti-racism gesture in England five years ago – inspired by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick – who began performing it in 2016 in protest of racial inequality and police brutality within the USA.
The gesture became more widely utilized in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a police officer within the USA and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which followed.
Taking the knee has largely split opinion amongst 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, due to some calls inside the BLM movement to defund the police.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
In The Mixer: Exclusive evaluation, FPL suggestions and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and join before Friday to be certain that you do not miss the primary edition.
The gesture isn’t as widely used because it was five years ago – but continues to be sometimes seen within 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 gathering 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 variety of reported abuse cases in the course of the 2024-25 season
Kick It Out says it received record-high reports of discrimination in the course of the 2024-25 season.
The variety of racist incidents within the skilled game increased from 223 to 245.
There have been 621 reports of online abuse submitted – a 5 per cent rise on last yr – 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 in the course of the Euro 2025 tournament after Carter faced online racist abuse.
In a collective statement the Lionesses said: ‘Representing our country is the best honour. It shouldn’t be right that while we’re doing that, a few of us are treated in a different way simply due to the color of our skin.
‘Until now, we’ve chosen to take the knee before matches. It is obvious we and football need to search out one other approach to tackle racism. We now have agreed as a squad to stay standing before kick‑off [in the semi-final against Italy].’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an internet
browser that
supports HTML5
video
England star Lucy Bronze added: ‘We feel as a collective, is the message as strong because it was once? Is the message really hitting hard?
‘Because, to us, it seems like it’s not, if these items are still happening to our players in the most important tournaments of their lives.
‘It’s about putting one other statement on the market to say it’s something that also is an issue, it’s something that also must be put right. More must be done in football, more must be done in society. What that’s straight away as a person, I don’t exactly know.
‘Nevertheless it’s something that us collectively as a team and as a federation wish to work towards, we have the desire to make changes. This can be a small step attempting to create one other change.
‘We all know the people higher up are those who can ultimately put in things to make change. But I feel we all know we’re never helpless as players and our voices are loud enough to be heard by people all over the world, whether that’s social media platforms or federations like UEFA and FIFA.
‘I feel that’s something we’re very happy with as a Lionesses team, that we’ve created this voice and a platform and we will reach the very best of heights.
‘We’re willing to make use of that platform and that voice to make differences. The sentiment of taking a knee after which standing, as small as that might sound to some people, I feel noise might be reached all over the world.’
ITV football pundit Ian Wright said: ‘I feel the choice to take the knee should at all times have been a private thing.
‘If you desire to take the knee, take it. It was almost forced on people. If I used to be playing now and with all the things the knee represents – in case you return to Colin Kaepernick and injustice and inequality and all the things that goes with it – I might still take the knee. Even when I needed to do it by myself.’
Kick It Out, a UK-based anti-discrimination charity, said in a press release: ‘We support players in whatever actions they decide to take to indicate their support within the fight against racism, but the main focus must be on the rationale behind those actions somewhat than the actions themselves.
‘Social media corporations have failed to forestall exposure to this toxicity, and football must proceed to make use of its collective power to carry them to account. We now have been working with the federal government and the regulator, but we all know that more urgency is required from everyone involved.’
MORE: Arsenal ‘waiting’ on Real Madrid transfer decision with Rodrygo
MORE: Manchester United receive two loan offers for Antony with Premier League rival interested
MORE: Jermain Defoe tells Tottenham to sign ‘special’ £68m star ahead of Arsenal