Man City Defender Marc Guehi Questions Impact of Taking the Knee

Manchester City defender Marc Guehi chose not to take the knee before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich, saying the gesture may have lost its impact.

The match was part of the first of two rounds of fixtures set aside for the league's "No Room For Racism" campaign. 

Guehi said he supports the campaign but wants to see more done in the fight against racism. It was not the first time he has skipped the gesture, which began in June 2020 to back Black Lives Matter. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Premier League no longer has players kneel before every game, and they are only invited to do so on certain occasions.

Speaking on Monday ahead of City's Champions League game against AEK Athens, Guehi said it was "great" that the campaign was carrying on. 

"Whether more can be done, more can always be done," he said. "We have to see how we can move the campaign along. I don't think it's necessarily a football issue. I think it's a wider societal issue and football is that beacon of hope to try to get the message out. But whether more can be done, we will try, hopefully with the PFA, with the league."

Asked if taking the knee had lost its meaning, he said: "Maybe. I haven't been taking the knee for a while now, to be honest. I'd always clap, just because of what that actually signifies." He did not give more detail on his reasons.

Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin also stood while players from both sides knelt before Leeds' 1-1 draw with Manchester United, a game in which he scored. Leeds boss Daniel Farke explained his decision. 

"Dom is more or less like, 'No, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up, more or less,'" Farke said. "I think each individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way."

Other players have done the same. In 2021, Wilfried Zaha, then at Crystal Palace, said he would stop taking the knee. 

"I feel like taking a knee is degrading," he told the FT Business of Football conference, as quoted by The Guardian. 

"Growing up, my parents just let me know that I should just be proud to be black, no matter what, and I just think we should stand tall. I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now. That's not enough."

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the campaign, which runs during Black History Month in the UK, aims to use "the reach of our players to send an important message: we are united in the fight against racism."