Patrick Vieira wants players to continue taking the knee
Players in the Premier League will no longer be required to take a knee before each game, but Patrick Vieira is keen for the gesture to be maintained.
Patrick Vieira
, manager of
Crystal Palace, has shown support for the pregame kneeling of
Premier League
players. The anti-racism gesture will be reserved for special occasions in the upcoming season, as confirmed by players on Wednesday.
The project was approved as a show of solidarity with the
Black Lives Matter
movement, which gained prominence after George Floyd died in police custody in May 2020 in the United States.
Some people thought the gesture was politically motivated, and they booed England players who kneeled before games leading up to the Euro 2020 tournament last year.
Some players decided to stop participating last year; Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace said it "doesn't matter if we kneel or stand" because of the insults they received either way. Vieira expresses his optimism that players will see the significance of the gesture as an anti-racism message despite the league's decision to restrict its use.
Vieira addressed a news conference before Palace's Premier League opener against Arsenal, in which players from both teams are expected to take a knee: "Taking the knee is a fantastic strategy. Several times, I anticipate this initiative carrying out this action.
"There is a statement to be made, and I think it's necessary to maintain taking the knee, so I think it's good that we can't stop it right immediately. I feel we still have to take a knee because "we all are about [ending] discrimination and this is the fight that will take a long time."
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