The Crystal Palace forward, Wilfred Zaha has said he will stop taking a knee before matches and shall instead “stand tall”
On Thursday, the 28-year-old Wilfred Zaha made it clear he will no longer follow the initiative adopted in the Premier League from last season after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is after he questioned the purpose of taking the knee before the beginning of matches.
Zaha, therefore, becomes the first Premier League footballer to declare he will stop taking a knee as he believes the protest is no longer sufficient.
Instead, the forward pledged to “stand tall” when he returns from injury.
He said, “It’s becoming something that we just do now. It feels like we are isolating ourselves from these things that are not working anyway”.
“Why must I even wear Black Lives Matter on the back of my top to show you that we matter? This is all degrading stuff. I’m not going to wear Black Lives Matter on the back of my shirt because it feels like it’s a target”.
“Growing up, my parents let me know I should be proud to be black, no matter what. And I just think we should stand tall. With taking a knee, sometimes people forget we have to do it. It is becoming something we just do. That is not enough for me”.
Zaha, who also revealed his mother has made him pay 10% of his money to charity since he was 16 also suggested the racism black players are continuing to suffer on online platforms suggested the protest had not made a difference.
He said, “We are trying to say we are equal but these things are not working. Unless there’s change, don’t ask me about it. Unless action is going to happen, I don’t want to hear about it”.
Is Taking A Knee Before Matches Still Powerful or Less Impactful?
A survey by the Professional Footballer’s Association in December found there was still overwhelming support among players for taking a knee before kick-off.
On Wednesday, the England manager, Gareth Southgate insisted the gesture was still hugely powerful in keeping the fight against racial inequality and injustice at the forefront of people’s minds.
He said, “every player that does that is very clear that the protest is against the lack of opportunity. It is anti-racism and it is supporting our teammates and staff that work with us. it’s a unifying act every time I see it. Although I heard people saying it is becoming less impactful, I didn’t feel that because every time I go to a game and I see it I think it is hugely powerful”.