The Premier League announced that players will take a knee over the next two weekends as part of their anti-racism campaign. Over the course of the next two rounds of games, players will kneel in protest against racism and other forms of discrimination as part of the league’s “No Room For Racism” effort. Following the death of black man George Floyd in the United States in 2020 while being detained by the police, Premier League club leaders decided before the start of the season to choose meaningful occasions to make the gesture as it was losing its significance.
Other events chosen for players to kneel include the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals, future No Room For Racism campaign weeks, the Boxing Day round of games (which will commemorate the Premier League’s return after the World Cup), and future No Room For Racism campaign weeks. Around Premier League stadiums, there will be additional campaign-related messaging displayed.
The league participates in a number of initiatives that promote equality and diversity, such as the Professional Player to Coach Scheme (PPCS) and the Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme, which have helped 48 coaches who identify as black, Asian, mixed-race, or female land jobs with elite clubs. In June 2020, the league also introduced an online abuse reporting system to assist players, employees, and their families who encounter discriminatory online harassment. Following complaints from teams, the league looked into more than 400 cases to find those who were abusing the internet.
For more football news, click here
