Brief
Premier League players refuse kneel, fans boo gesture at multiple matches
Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester City and Ipswich matches featured refusals to kneel and booing from supporters, raising fresh debate over the gesture's impact.
By Felo News Desk · Published
During the opening weeks of the Premier League's "No Room For Racism" month, a number of players declined to take the knee before kick‑off and sections of the crowd responded with boos, dailymail.co.uk reported.
What happened
On Saturday, Bournemouth’s Rayan and Tyler Adams stayed upright while their teammates knelt before the club’s match against Sunderland. Later that day, at Elland Road, Leeds United supporters loudly booed the gesture as their side prepared to face Manchester United. Everton’s Ainsley Maitland‑Niles also refused to kneel before the early Saturday fixture against Chelsea, despite his teammates complying. At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s Marc Guehi and Ipswich Town’s Issa Diop declined to join the kneeling routine before their respective games.
What the reports add
The article notes that the reasons behind the refusals have not been disclosed by the players. It also references earlier criticism of the gesture, citing former Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha’s 2021 comment that kneeling felt "degrading" and Ivan Toney’s claim that players were being used as "puppets". Past incidents are mentioned, including Dominic Calvert‑Lewin’s 2022 refusal in a Burnley‑Leeds match and Marcos Alonso’s decision to point to the league’s anti‑racism badge rather than kneel while at Chelsea.
What was said
Wilfried Zaha told the Daily Mail in 2021, "I feel like taking the knee is degrading, because growing up my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be Black no matter what and I feel like we should just stand tall." Ivan Toney was quoted as saying, "We are being used as puppets." The article also includes a 2021 remark from Burnley captain Ben Mee, who warned, "It gets to the point where if you're booing, it doesn't look good on those individuals that are booing. Disappointed, but there was a lot of positive there as well."
How it came about
The Premier League introduced the "No Room For Racism" campaign earlier this season, with captains agreeing to perform the gesture twice per season. The article points out that the policy was altered in August 2022 to limit kneeling to match rounds falling within the campaign period, after clubs like Luton previously chose to stand in the centre circle instead of kneeling.
Key facts
- Bournemouth players Rayan and Tyler Adams did not kneel before the Sunderland match (dailymail.co.uk)
- Everton's Ainsley Maitland‑Niles refused to kneel before the Chelsea game (dailymail.co.uk)
- Marc Guehi (Man City) and Issa Diop (Ipswich) declined to kneel before their fixtures (dailymail.co.uk)
- Fans booed the kneeling gesture at Leeds United's match against Manchester United (dailymail.co.uk)
- Wilfried Zaha described kneeling as degrading in 2021 (dailymail.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] dailymail.co.uk — originally reported as “Fans boo footballers taking knee as Premier League stars reject it”
