“I think we are still in favour of it and that it is still having an impact”
Jordan Henderson believes that players taking the knee before matches is still making a difference in the fight against racial discrimination.
Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the captains of all the Premier League clubs came together and decided to take the knee before matches.
The gesture – which traces back to Martin Luther King – has continued into this campaign, with the majority of players still choosing to do the action.
Before the start of the 2021/22 season, top-flight players agreed to continue their stance, which began during Project Restart last year.
However, a number of players have since stopped kneeling, with Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso the latest player to decide not to perform the motion prior to kick-off.
Despite this, Henderson insists the gesture is ‘still having an impact’.
“Everybody’s entitled to do what they will feel comfortable doing,” the Reds captain told GQ.
“I know Marcos is against any form of racism, so we’re all fighting for the same thing here and we all have the same message.
“But, for myself and the players at Liverpool, I think we are still in favour of it and that it is still having an impact.”
Henderson: “On behalf of all of the players, I want to restate our commitment to taking the knee in the Premier League.
“It is only by doing what is right and coming together that we can achieve positive change and it is in this spirit that we will carry on taking the knee.”
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) August 11, 2021
Alonso stated that he believed the gesture had lost its value and was no longer necessary before games, following through on his opinion by stopping to take the knee ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League matches in September.
The Spanish left-back revealed that instead of taking the knee – which is an action made in solidarity with football’s anti-racism movement – he would instead choose to combat racism by taking a different approach, joining the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Ivan Toney, who also stopped the gesture.
“I am fully against racism and every type of discrimination,” Alonso said.
“I just prefer to put my finger to the badge where it says no to racism, like they do in other sports and football in other countries.
“Maybe it’s losing a bit of strength the other way, so I just prefer to do it this way and to show I am fully supportive.”
Crystal Palace’s star man Zaha has previously called the act ‘degrading’, with Brentford frontman Toney also suggesting that players were being ‘used as puppets’ when taking the knee.
Related links:
- Marcos Alonso didn’t consult black teammates before deciding not to take the knee
- Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson included on Queen’s honours list
- Jordan Henderson joins forces with Cybersmile to combat online abuse
