Aston Villa defeated Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, but one of the home team’s starters decided not to take a knee along with the rest of the players.
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has opted not to injure his knee ahead of his team’s Premier League match against Manchester City. Premier League players are making the gesture this weekend as part of the ‘No Room for Racism’ movement, but whether or not to do so is a personal choice.
Onana previously decided not to injure his knee while at Everton, and he made the same decision before Villa’s game against Tottenham last weekend. His latest personal decision comes two years after he suffered personal abuse while on the Merseyside club’s books.
After playing for Everton against Villa in 2023, the Belgium international highlighted the racist abuse he suffered. “Everton Football Club strongly condemns any racist and discriminatory abuse of our players,” the club said in a statement at the time.
“The club is aware of the racist posts directed at Amadou Onana. This type of abuse is despicable and cannot and will not be tolerated. The club is investigating to identify those responsible and will assist the police in their investigations.”
“We must all report such behavior to social media platforms and authorities and adopt a zero-tolerance attitude. Racism has no place online, in our stadiums or in our communities.”
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On the pitch, Onana played the full 90 minutes as Villa won 1-0 against City. Matty Cash scored the only goal of the game with a strike midway through the first half, but City’s late equalizer was ruled out for offside.
Villa, managed by Unai Emery, failed to score in their first four league games but are now unbeaten in six games. That record includes four wins on the spin in the Premier League, but Thursday’s loss to the Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
“I’m very proud of the energy that our supporters transmitted to us,” Villa manager Emery told club media after his latest win brought his side within points with City. “Positive and always helping us, they felt like “wow.” They were like our fortress and after this positive energy, it felt like our strength, showing their skills, their wishes, their tactical commitment to execute everything we had planned.
“And against a team like Manchester City, we needed their hope tactically. We needed their dedication, their effort and of course the supporters who helped us here, created a very positive atmosphere, helped us and united here as a feeling to defend our fortress as strongly as we do.”
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