Premier League clubs reintroduced taking the knee this weekend as part of October's No Room for Racism campaign, but six players across five teams chose to remain standing. Bournemouth duo Tyler Adams and Rayan, Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ipswich defender Issa Diop, Manchester City's Marc Guehi, and Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles all opted out of the pre-match gesture. The Premier League affirmed that taking the knee remains an entirely player-led choice, stating it is supportive of whatever collective or individual stance competitors choose to take during the initiative's two scheduled match rounds.
Addressing the topic prior to Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday, England international Guehi revealed that he prefers to applaud instead. "I haven't been taking the knee for a while now. I always clap, just because of what that actually signifies," Guehi explained. Describing football as a beacon of hope dealing with a wider societal issue, the defender added: "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." Leeds manager Daniel Farke also supported Calvert-Lewin's stance prior to their match with Manchester United, explaining that the forward shows respect by standing up and that every individual expresses solidarity in their own way.
The gesture was first adopted by Premier League squads in 2020 following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter demonstrations, before club captains decided prior to the 2022-23 season to limit kneeling to designated fixtures such as UK Black History Month in October. Debate surrounding the act has grown since former Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha became the first top-flight footballer to stop kneeling in 2021. The England Lionesses also ceased taking the knee after defender Jess Carter was subjected to racist abuse online during the Women's Euros, with manager Sarina Wiegman arguing that the gesture's impact was not sufficient. Anti-discrimination body Kick It Out noted that while kneeling still raises awareness, players' frustration is understandable as reports of racism and discrimination to the organisation reached record levels last season after more than doubling between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
Online abuse directed at footballers remains a pressing issue; in February, Wesley Fofana, Hannibal Mejbri, Tolu Arokodare, and Romaine Mundle were all targeted over a single weekend, while a BBC Sport investigation uncovered 22,389 potentially abusive posts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X in another separate weekend. A 2025 YouGov poll revealed that while most English fans overall do not consider taking the knee important in tackling racism, a majority of British ethnic minority supporters still do. Beyond on-pitch actions, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters highlighted the collective fight against discrimination, which includes diversity educational resources supplied to over 19,000 primary schools across England and Wales alongside backing from players such as Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.