Six players stand as Premier League returns to taking the knee for No Room for Racism
Six players across five Premier League clubs chose to remain standing this weekend as top-flight sides took the knee for the first time this season during October's No Room for Racism campaign. Marc Guehi, one of those six, says the message still matters but the campaign needs to evolve.
- Gesture: Premier League clubs took the knee this weekend for the first time this season, part of October's No Room for Racism campaign
- Who stood: Six players across five clubs — Tyler Adams and Rayan (Bournemouth), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Issa Diop (Ipswich), Marc Guehi (Manchester City) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Everton)
- Context: Taking the knee began in 2020 after the death of George Floyd and was limited to selected matches from 2022-23 by club captains
- This season: Captains agreed to take the knee during October's No Room For Racism fixtures, which coincide with Black History Month in the UK
- The numbers: Reports of discrimination and racism received by Kick It Out more than doubled between 2021-22 and 2025-26, hitting record levels last season
What was said
"I haven't been taking the knee for a while now. I always clap, just because of what that actually signifies."
"I don't think it's necessarily a football issue, I think it's a wider societal issue and football is just that beacon of hope to try and get the message out."
"The message is still there, which is great. More can always be done. I think we should see how we can move the campaign along."
"Dom is more or less like, 'no, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up'. Every individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way."
"It's definitely a good campaign and a good topic that football and sports, in general, support situations like this because a dressing room is a perfect example of how we should all live together."
"I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn't matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse."
"Taking the knee, that's not enough. We have done that for a while. The impact is not good enough, it's not as big as we think."
"We are using the reach of our players to send an important message: we are united in the fight against racism."
Guehi's position is the most carefully argued of the six. He is not rejecting the gesture; he is questioning whether repetition has dulled its edge. His insistence that he "always clap" signals respect for those who do kneel, and his framing of racism as a societal rather than purely football problem widens the conversation beyond the 90 minutes.
Farke's explanation of Calvert-Lewin runs along a similar track — standing is presented as an active expression of respect rather than an abstention. The other five players who did not take the knee this weekend have not publicly commented. The Premier League maintains that taking the knee is "a decision led by the players" and that it is "supportive of whatever stance they choose to take, collectively or individually".
The numbers
- 2021-22 to 2025-26: Reports of both discrimination and racism received by Kick It Out more than doubled, reaching record levels last season
- 22,389: Potentially abusive messages identified by a BBC Sport investigation across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X over a single weekend
- 19,000+: Primary schools across England and Wales with access to educational resources about diversity developed with players' help
- 2025 YouGov polling: A majority of ethnic minority football fans in Britain still considered taking the knee important in tackling racism — though most football fans overall in England did not
Injury and availability
No injuries were reported in the source material. All six players named — Tyler Adams and Rayan of Bournemouth, Calvert-Lewin, Diop, Guehi and Maitland-Niles — were available for selection and involved in their clubs' matchday squads this weekend.
Why the gesture's meaning is splitting from its method
The kneel was never a tactic; it was a signal. When Premier League players first adopted it in 2020 after George Floyd's death, the act carried the shock of something new. Club captains then narrowed it to selected matches from 2022-23, effectively acknowledging that saturation was a risk. This October's return, tied to Black History Month, was meant to restore meaning — and yet six players, including England international Guehi, decided the moment demanded a different posture.
What is striking is that none of the six framed their choice as opposition to anti-racism. Guehi claps. Calvert-Lewin, according to Farke, stands as a show of respect. The disagreement is about efficacy, not intent — and it is being voiced most clearly by Black players who have lived the problem. Zaha made the point bluntly in 2021: kneeling had become "part of the pre-match routine" while abuse continued. Four years on, Kick It Out's data shows reports more than doubling, and a single weekend in February saw Hannibal Mejbri, Wesley Fofana, Tolu Arokodare and Romaine Mundle all racially abused online.
The Premier League's response has been to widen the campaign beyond the gesture: educational resources in more than 19,000 schools, players fronting the message, and Virgil van Dijk pointing to the value of role models. That is the "move the campaign along" Guehi is asking for. Whether a pre-match kneel survives alongside it, or quietly becomes optional for everyone, is now a live question rather than a settled ritual.
Talking points
- If the Premier League insists the gesture is "player-led", it cannot also treat standing as a controversy — the six who stayed upright are exercising exactly the freedom the league says it protects.
- Kick It Out's doubling of reports can be read two ways: greater awareness driving reporting, or a worsening problem. Both readings make the same demand — action beyond a pre-match moment.
- The Lionesses stopped kneeling after Jess Carter was racially abused during last summer's Women's Euros. Sarina Wiegman called the impact "not good enough" — a far blunter verdict than anything heard from the men's game.
- Polling splits by audience: ethnic minority fans still back the kneel, the wider fanbase does not. Any campaign built only on the gesture will keep losing the second group.
What happens next
The campaign's pre-match gestures continue across the two match rounds announced by the Premier League for October's No Room for Racism fixtures. The next decision point sits with the club captains, who agreed this season's approach and would need to revisit it for any change beyond October. With Kick It Out's report figures at record levels and Guehi publicly calling for the campaign to evolve, the conversation about what replaces the kneel — not whether it should — is already underway.
Frequently asked questions
Which players did not take the knee this weekend?
Six players across five clubs: Tyler Adams and Rayan (Bournemouth), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Issa Diop (Ipswich), Marc Guehi (Manchester City) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Everton).
Why did Marc Guehi stay standing?
Guehi said he has not taken the knee for a while, that he always claps because of what the gesture signifies, and that he believes more can be done — adding: "I think we should see how we can move the campaign along."
What did Daniel Farke say about Dominic Calvert-Lewin?
Farke said Calvert-Lewin's stance is effectively "no, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up", adding that every individual shows respect for the campaign differently.
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