Why are England taking the knee at the World Cup?
ENGLAND will send a powerful message around the world by kneeling before each kick-off of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and other nations are expected to follow suit.
The Three Lions begin their campaign against Iran and will be hoping for a victory on the first day.
Hosts Qatar was defeated by Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match, and the runners-up in Group A will face the winners of Group B.
It’s time for England to make a statement, and they’ll take a knee before kickoff.
Gareth Southgate’s side did not take the knee in September’s fixtures, but have decided to do so during the World Cup.
Individuals from the team will kneel on one knee rather than standing in protest of racism.
It comes from American footballer Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem in 2016, stating that he would not stand as a statement against racism.
Following the murder of George Floyd in the United States, Premier League clubs chose to make this gesture in 2020, and the national team took the knee before the start of Euro 2020.
Now, the clubs have decided that rather than taking the knee before every game, they will choose to do so in specific moments.
And now they will take the knee during the World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the opener against Iran, Southgate revealed: “We have discussed taking the knee.
“We feel we should. It’s what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time.
“Of course, we understand in the Premier League that clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions, we feel this is the biggest.
“We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people in particular to see that inclusivity is very important.”
What other teams are taking the knee?
It remains to be seen as to what other nations, if any, will join England in the gesture during the World Cup.
