Crystal Palace’s forward Wilfried Zaha says that he will stop taking a knee before Premier League games as art of English Football’s anti-racism campaign. – By Madellene Kalunda.
Zaha believes the meaning of the ‘degrading’ gesture has been lost. He now wants to use his high-profile to promote positive societal change.
He has also urged fellow black footballers to do the same because he believes the gesture has lost its meaning, is not working and may even be making them a ‘target’ for racial abuse.
This was after Arsenal’s Nketiah was urged to leave the team in a racist post replying to a training picture he posted on Twitter ahead of Thursday night’s clash against Benfica.
Anthony Martial has also been targeted in the past week after abhorrent gorilla emojis and expletives were seen on his Instagram following Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with West Brom.
Zaha instead pledged to “stand tall” when he returns after injury. “I feel like taking a knee is degrading,” he told the FT Business of Football conference.
“Growing up, my parents just let me know that I should just be proud to be black, no matter what, and I just think we should stand tall.
I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now. That’s not enough. I’m not going to take the knee,” said the Crystal Palace player..
Trying to get the meaning behind it, it’s becoming something that we just do now and that’s not enough for me.
‘I’m not going to take the knee, I’m not going to wear Black Lives Matter on the back of my shirt because it feels like it’s a target. We’re trying to say that we’re equal but we’re isolating ourselves with these things that aren’t even working anyway, so that’s my stand on it.
“Unless there’s change, don’t ask me about it. Unless action is going to happen I don’t want to hear about it.” Said the 28 year old player.
Several clubs, including Brentford last weekend, have stopped making the gesture. Brentford said in a statement that players decided to stop taking a knee as they ‘no longer feel that it is making an impact’. For the time being, most Premier League players will continue with the knee, but criticism is beginning to mount.
