England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed his squad will take the knee at the World Cup in Qatar to promote inclusivity on the world’s biggest stage.
Taking the knee in football began in 2020 and the Three Lions continued to do it through their Euro 2020 campaign. The Premier League also joined in showing their support in recent seasons, with every team across the top division getting involved.
It is an anti-racist symbol and is a way for players and staff to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
England forwards Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were racially abused following the Three Lions’ loss in the Euros final, in which the three attackers missed penalties in the shootout against Italy. This incident again reiterated the need for anti-racism statements in football.
Southgate has told of his players’ intentions to continue taking the knee in Qatar, which has been largely criticised for its poor human rights record.
He said (via Football Daily): “We have discussed taking the knee, we feel we should. It’s what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time.
? "We feel this is the biggest. A strong statement that will go around the World."
Gareth Southgate confirms England will take the knee before kick-off against Iran pic.twitter.com/TZduNDCoua
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 20, 2022
“Of course, we understand in the Premier League that the clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions, we feel this is the biggest.
“We think it’s a strong statement that will go around the world, for young people in particular to see that inclusivity is very important.”
Footage courtesy of Football Daily.