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Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha has become the first Premier League player not to kneel before kick-off.
he 28-year-old decided to go ahead of Saturday’s game against West Brom at Selhurst Park, to highlight that more needs to be done in the fight against racism.
Zaha revealed last month when speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football summit that he would no longer perform a gesture that he has become familiar with with the best players, officials and staff since Project Restart in June.
After returning from a hamstring injury earlier this month, he appeared as a substitute at Tottenham last weekend before Palace manager Roy Hodgson included the Ivory Coast international in his starting eleven. to face the Baggies, giving the winger his first chance to stay on his feet.
When referee Simon Hooper blew his whistle at Selhurst Park to indicate that players, officials and staff could take the knee prior to kick-off, Zaha stood up while the rest of his teammates and those in the starting line-up of West Brom knelt.
In a statement, Zaha said: ‘My decision to appear at the kickoff has been public knowledge for a couple of weeks.
“There is no right or wrong decision, but for me personally, I feel like kneeling has become part of the pre-match routine and right now, it doesn’t matter if we kneel or stand, some of us still We continue to receive abuse.
“I know there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in the Premier League and other authorities to make changes, and I respect that and everyone involved. I also fully respect my teammates and players from other clubs who continue to take the knee.
“As a society, I think we should encourage better education in schools, and social media companies should take stronger action against people who abuse other people online, not just footballers.
“Now I just want to focus on football and enjoy playing on the field again. I will continue to stand tall.”
The Palace academy graduate is the first Premier League player not to kneel and joins the Derby, Bournemouth and Brentford clubs of the Sky Bet Championship to no longer participate in the pre-match gesture.
It was introduced after soccer was resumed in June as a way to promote the anti-racism message after George Floyd’s death in police custody in the United States last May sparked a spike in Black Lives Matter protests.
However, with a repeated number of footballers who have become victims of racist abuse on social media in recent weeks, the gesture has come under scrutiny.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters said this week that kneeling will continue until the end of the season, but then there will be further conversations with players about the most effective way forward.
On Friday, Hodgson endorsed Zaha’s right to take a stand, saying: “Wilf thinks that kneeling now does not show his loathing as much as he would like, so he has decided to do something different.
“But as a team, they have decided that they will continue to do what other teams are doing and this decision by Wilf is a very personal one that we all respect and the team has no problem with it.”
Online editors
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