(Reuters) – Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha became the first Premier League player not to take a knee in protest against racism when he stayed standing with his hands behind his back before kickoff in Saturday’s 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The Ivory Coast international said last month he would stop taking a knee before matches because he believes the meaning of the gesture, which he called “degrading”, has been lost.
Players have been taking a knee since July, initially in support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement before the Premier League and English Football League linked the gesture to their own anti-racism campaigns.
“There is no right or wrong decision, but… I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse,” Zaha said in a statement on Saturday.
Premier League players, including Zaha, have been racially abused online, prompting English soccer bodies to put pressure on social media companies to tackle the problem.
