England will continue to take a knee during the European Championship and ignore any “adverse reaction” to taking part in the anti-racism gesture, manager Gareth Southgate said on Saturday.
Boos could be heard from sections of the crowd at the Riverside Stadium when players took the knee before England’s friendly win over Austria on Wednesday.
Southgate held a meeting with a group of the squad on Friday, during which they agreed to continue taking a knee before matches to highlight racial injustice.
“Some people decide to boo,” Southgate told a news conference ahead of Sunday’s final warm-up match against Romania. “I think those people should put themselves in the shoes of those young players and how that must feel.
“Most important thing for our players is to know we are totally united on it, we are totally committed to supporting each other, supporting the team. We feel more than ever determined to take the knee through this tournament.
“We accept that there might be an adverse reaction and we are just going to ignore that and move forward.”
Reuters
Photo England manager Gareth Southgate (back R) reacts during the International Friendly soccer match between England and Austria in Middlesbrough, Britain, 02 June 2021. EPA-EFE/Peter Powell / POOL
