Premier League clubs will make new decisions about kneeling positions ahead of top-flight fixtures following this weekend’s No Room for Racism match.
Premier League boss Richard Masters has revealed that players will take a knee this weekend in support of the ‘No Racism’ movement. However, the decision whether to continue with the gesture is made afterwards.
The captains of the 20 top league teams are said to support the move, but individuals can also choose not to take part. Most teams in the Women’s Super League have already decided not to use knee kicks in matches commemorating Black History Month, believing it is no longer relevant.
The gesture was first introduced after the killing of George Floyd in the US in May 2020. But in 2022, the Premier League has confirmed that players will only hit their knees in high-profile matches.
The hope was that having it booked for the No Room for Racism games in October and March, the Boxing Day game and the final league game of the season would further boost that response. However, a new decision on whether to keep it will be made soon.
“It was always their choice,” Masters told Sky News. “It was never forced on them, either collectively or individually. They spoke again in the summer.
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“They’re actually going to do it in the No Room for Racism match round. We’ll then decide whether they continue or stop. So I think they want to make sure that whatever they do, it’s effective.”
Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has reported being racially abused at Anfield on the opening day of the Premier League. The match between Cherries and Liverpool was briefly interrupted in the 29th minute after Semenyo reported the incident to the referee.
A 47-year-old man has been arrested and banned from football grounds across the UK pending investigations. Masters noted that the protocols in place are working.
“Many players, participants, coaches and referees have been subject to abuse, often racial abuse, and we are working with stakeholders and working with social media companies to do our best to resolve the issue.”
The Premier League is also pushing social media platforms to do more. They want algorithms to stop players from seeing cheating and introduce additional protections.
Masters is also lobbying for stronger background checks to prevent anonymity from hurling abuse at people. “There’s an anonymity to it, and I think that gives people the perception, perhaps wrongly, that they’re pretty much free to say and do whatever they want,” he says.
“And I simply don’t think it should be part of a professional footballer’s life to have to put up with something like this. That’s why we’re doing everything we can.”
“Of course, I would generally support anything that would make it easier (to find the culprit), but I think that also applies to many other issues surrounding freedom of information.”
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