The Premier League's latest anti-racism campaign has produced an unexpected controversy after several players refused to take the knee before their matches. Among them were Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Ipswich Town's Issa Diop, who remained standing while many of their teammates performed the familiar gesture of solidarity against discrimination.
What makes the situation particularly interesting is that the players who declined to kneel are themselves Black, and at least one of them believes the gesture is no longer achieving what it was originally intended to accomplish. Guehi has now explained his decision publicly, arguing that English football must find more effective ways to tackle racism rather than relying on symbolic actions that risk losing their meaning through repetition.
Why Did Premier League Players Refuse to Kneel?
The incidents took place during the Premier League's October "No Room For Racism" campaign, which encourages players to demonstrate their opposition to discrimination before selected fixtures. During Manchester City's match against Ipswich on October 17, Guehi and opposition defender Issa Diop remained standing as other players took the knee. Ainsley Maitland-Niles made the same choice before Everton's game against Chelsea, while Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was among several other footballers who did not participate in the gesture over the weekend.
For Guehi, the decision was not a sudden protest against the Premier League or its campaign. The England international revealed that he had stopped taking the knee some time ago and now prefers to applaud while other players perform the gesture. He believes that clapping allows him to express support for the message without participating in a symbolic action whose original impact may have faded.
Speaking at a press conference on October 19, ahead of Manchester City's Champions League match against AEK Athens, Guehi stressed that he welcomed the Premier League's continued efforts to fight discrimination. However, he questioned whether repeating the same gesture was enough to make a meaningful difference, suggesting that players, clubs and football authorities should discuss what more could be done.
"Maybe It Has Lost Its Meaning"
Guehi's argument reflects a debate that has been developing within English football for several years. When players first began taking the knee in 2020, the gesture attracted enormous attention and became one of the most visible symbols of football's response to racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in the United States.
Six years later, some players are questioning whether the gesture still has the same power. Guehi suggested that its meaning may have diminished over time, despite the continued importance of the cause it represents. He emphasised that racism is a wider social problem rather than something football can solve independently, although he believes the sport has an important role to play in challenging discrimination.
The Manchester City defender also called for discussions involving the Premier League and the Professional Footballers' Association about how the campaign could develop. Rather than abandoning anti-racism initiatives, his position is that they should evolve to remain effective and relevant.
Crucially, Guehi has not suggested that other players should stop kneeling. His comments concern his own decision and the need for more substantial action, while those who continue to perform the gesture remain free to express their solidarity in that way.
Wilfried Zaha and Ivan Toney Raised Similar Concerns Years Ago
Guehi is far from the first Premier League footballer to question the effectiveness of taking the knee. In 2021, former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha publicly criticised the gesture, describing it as degrading and arguing that players should not have to kneel before every match to demonstrate their opposition to racism.
Zaha's argument was that the symbolic action risked becoming disconnected from the everyday experiences of players facing discrimination. He wanted greater attention paid to education and practical measures rather than repeated pre-match demonstrations that might eventually be treated as another routine part of football's presentation.
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney also expressed frustration with the practice, suggesting that players were being used to promote a message without seeing sufficient progress. Their objections attracted considerable attention because they came from footballers who had direct experience of the issues the campaign was designed to address.
Similar concerns have emerged in women's football. During the 2025 Women's European Championship, England players chose not to take the knee before their semi-final against Italy following racist abuse directed at defender Jess Carter. The team's decision was presented as a call for more meaningful action against discrimination, particularly online.
Why the Premier League Stopped Kneeling Before Every Match
Taking the knee became a regular feature of English football when the Premier League resumed in June 2020. For the following two seasons, players commonly performed the gesture immediately before kick-off, making it a familiar sight on television broadcasts around the world.
However, the practice changed ahead of the 2022/23 season. Premier League captains decided that players would no longer kneel before every match, instead reserving the gesture for selected occasions when its message could receive greater attention. The decision reflected concerns that performing it so frequently had reduced its visibility and emotional impact.
The October 2026 "No Room For Racism" campaign is one of those designated occasions. The Premier League continues to support the initiative and views football as an important platform for challenging discrimination, but participation in taking the knee remains a personal choice rather than an obligation imposed on every player.
That distinction explains why players can stand while teammates kneel without necessarily rejecting the campaign itself. Their decisions may reflect different opinions about how opposition to racism should be expressed, although the precise motivations of players who have not spoken publicly should not be assumed.
Football Faces an Uncomfortable Question
The latest controversy has exposed a difficult question for football authorities: how can a sport maintain the visibility of its anti-racism message while ensuring that the actions supporting it continue to have an effect?
Taking the knee remains meaningful to many players and supporters, who see it as a clear public rejection of discrimination. Others believe that its repetition has made the gesture too familiar, allowing football organisations to demonstrate support without necessarily addressing the more difficult problems involving racist abuse, education and accountability.
Guehi's decision has brought those contrasting perspectives back into the spotlight. He has not called for the Premier League to abandon its campaign, nor has he questioned the importance of combating racism. Instead, he has argued that the sport should consider whether its most recognisable symbol of solidarity is still the best way to achieve change.
With more "No Room For Racism" fixtures scheduled, the discussion is unlikely to disappear immediately. The challenge for English football is to ensure that the debate does not become focused exclusively on whether individual players kneel or stand, but also on what the sport is doing to combat the discrimination that made the gesture necessary in the first place.
Published by Patrick Jane
20.10.2026