Absolutely no excuses for not getting it
When Premier League players first started taking the knee, there was always going to be backlash. This is because there are still lots of racist people in the UK, who do not understand – or do understand but don’t care – about people who don’t look like them and the systematic oppression they face.
After this opposition to the anti-racist gesture made its way from social media to the stands, with loud booing heard at England’s warm-up games ahead of Euro 2020, the Premier League have released a video in support of the players’ gesture to continue taking the knee, with a voice over from Rio Ferdinand explaining why they do it.
“Racism isn’t a comfortable conversation,” he says in the video.
“But racism never went away. Racism is a real problem, it’s societal. It’s blatant prejudice, it’s more than social media abuse, it’s bigger than football,” he continues.
“And this here is much more than just a gesture.”
Watch the full video below.
In case you needed a reminder of why players continue to take the knee, the Premier League have released this video. #NoRoomforRacism #BlackLivesMatter
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) August 13, 2021
The Premier League season kicks off tonight with newly promoted Brentford hosting Arsenal.
Brentford announced last season their decision to stop taking the knee, explaining that it was “no longer having an impact,” and that they believed they could use their “time and energies to promote racial equality in other ways.”
However, upon getting promoted to the Premier League, the club changed their stance and agreed to join the other 19 clubs in taking the knee in a display of unity.
That said, star striker Ivan Toney will become the second black player in the Premier League to choose to stand tall rather than knee before kick-off. He explained his reasoning in a statement here.
Whether or not a black player decides to take the knee should be their choice entirely. What is important is that fans in the stands do not boo those who choose to do so, and in turn reveal their ugly prejudice.
