Championship club Brentford on Saturday released a statement saying their players would no longer be taking a knee before games in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Players across Europe and beyond have been taking a knee seconds before kick off in every match as a way to come together against racism.
But after months of the practice, Brentford becomes one of the first clubs to express the need to express their stance against racism in other forms.
“As a group of players, we have decided we will no longer take a knee before the start of matches. This will begin when we face Barnsley tomorrow, Sunday 14 February,” Brentford’s statement read.
A statement from the #BrentfordFC dressing room
Full statement 👉 https://t.co/yyF37QU4ee pic.twitter.com/HQqPUDwVT8
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 13, 2021
“This decision has come after lengthy discussions as a group. We have been taking a knee before games since June but, like many of our fellow players at other clubs, no longer believe that this is having an impact. We believe we can use our time and energies to promote racial equality in other ways.
This comes barely days after Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha went on record to say the knee gesture was somehow ‘degrading’.
According to Zaha, taking a knee and wearing Black Lives Matter apparel was doing little to help fight the racism vice.
