Swansea and Bristol City players will not take the knee before games this season after feeling 'let down' by handling of alleged racist abuse

English clubs, Swansea and Bristol City have announced they will no longer take the knee before games this season.


The Championship sides, who have adopted the anti-racism gesture since it came into the game in June 2020, stressed they remain committed to fighting discrimination.


The Swansea squad and coaching staff, who visit Rotherham in their season opener on Saturday, said in a statement: “Following discussions as a group, we have collectively decided to no longer take the knee prior to fixtures during the 2022-23 season.


“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and in no way reflects any diminishing of our belief that discrimination of any nature is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. We remain firmly in support of what taking the knee stands for and represents.

 

“Taking the knee has undoubtedly helped to raise awareness and encourage conversations about how to remove racism from the game we all love.

 

“Should any opposition side take the knee before a game this season, then we will line up and applaud them, because we absolutely support the sentiment behind it.


“But we feel we want to take responsibility as a group and find alternative ways to show our commitment to inclusion and diversity, and we feel that needs to run deeper than taking the knee each time we play.


“We want to work to be a force for positive, substantive change.”


Bristol City, who head to Hull, said: “We have taken the knee at every game we have played since June 2020 as an important stance of solidarity in the fight against all forms of discrimination.

 

“That battle must continue every day in how we all behave and contribute to society and we will applaud opposition teams who take the knee and raise awareness while ensuring that we have a zero-tolerance approach to hate and abuse.

 

“Everyone can make a difference, from individuals through to governing bodies and social media companies, whom we urge to use the power of their global systems to help bring online abuse to an end.


“We are blessed with diversity and difference within our squad and within the great city of Bristol and we will continue to celebrate that rich mixture of race and culture.”

By

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We were fighting over who infected the other with HIV- man arrested for k!lling girlfriend in Enugu speaks

Image
The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, a 30-year-old man over the alleged m&rder of his girlfriend, identified as Chinyere.  The suspect was rescued from an angry mob and re-arrested by Police operatives attached to Awkunanaw Division on September 21, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m., following information that he had allegedly m$rdered his girlfriend. Preliminary investigation by the police indicates that the suspect allegedly k!lled the victim on September 19, wrapped her remains in a nylon and locked them inside the toilet of his apartment. The offensive odour of the decomposing body subsequently attracted neighbours, who forced the door open and apprehended him before the arrival of the Police. The putrefying remains were evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while efforts are ongoing to trace and notify her relatives. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime, stating that the inci...
Read more>>>

Ukrainian children as young as four are trained by military on how to shoot and defend their borders from Russian invasion

Image
Children as young as four have been pictured receiving military training at an intensive volunteer boot camp as Ukraine’s military intensifies its defensive efforts in anticipation of a Russian military invasion. The volunteer boot camp in snow-covered woods outside the capital, Kiev saw young and old people taught the rudiments of military skills. A child named Taras and his brother Bohdan, both aged four, held wooden assault rifles while men and women in the background trained against Russia. The children's mother Iryna, 35, said: ‘I don’t think they understand the war and what is happening but they love everything to do with the military. ‘If they want to be soldiers when they grow up and fight to defend their homeland I will not stop them.’  ‘But for now they want to be a fireman and a policeman.’   Iryna’s uncle fought with the Ukrainian Army and died in an explosion during a battle at Debaltseve, Donbas, an area now controlled by ...
Read more>>>

Be mindful of nation?s reputation - FG cautions opposition over demarketing Nigeria over Tinubu's absence from UNGA

Image
The Federal Government has cautioned opposition politicians against making claims it says could damage Nigeria’s reputation internationally amid criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris issued the warning in a statement addressing public debate over Tinubu’s decision to delegate Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation. Idris said Tinubu is currently on annual leave and maintained that his decision to send Shettima to the UN gathering should not be interpreted as diminishing Nigeria’s diplomatic standing. “President Tinubu is currently on annual leave, and his decision to ask the Vice President to lead Nigeria’s delegation is neither unusual nor a diminution of the country’s diplomatic standing,” Idris said. According to the minister, Shettima has been given the president’s full mandate to represent Nigeria at the General Assembly...
Read more>>>

JAMB 2026: UTME Examination Slip Printing Now Live!

Image
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced via their X (formerly Twitter) handle that the 2026 UTME Examination Slips are now available for printing. ​For every candidate, this is the "Golden Ticket." Without this document, you will not be granted access to the examination hall. Here is everything you need to know to get yours ready. ​Why is the Exam Slip Important? ​Your examination slip is more than just a piece of paper; it is your official guide for the exam season. It contains: ​ Examination Venue: The specific CBT center assigned to you. ​ Examination Date: The exact day you are scheduled to sit for the papers. ​ Registration Time: The time you are expected to be at the venue for screening. ​ Subject Combination: A final confirmation of the subjects you will be tested on. ​How to Print Your 2026 UTME Slip ​Candidates can access their slips through the official JAMB portal. Follow these simple steps: ​ Visit...
Read more>>>

‘Sacrificial lamb’, Vincent Aboubakar hits back at Cristiano: “I always thought Messi was better”

Image
The Cameroonian attacker Vincent Aboubakar who was sacrificed to open a gap for Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr has hit back at his replacement and did not hesitate to point out that Messi is better than the Portuguese. At the moment, Ronaldo is waiting to make his official debut with the club at the exipration of the sanction he carried   from the Premier League of England. One of the figures of the Asian team,  Vincent Aboubakar and who everything indicates will terminate his contract in order to open a gap for the former Real Madrid player, attacked ‘CR7’ by pointing out that the Argentine star of PSG, Lionel Messi, World Cup winner with Argentina, is better than the Portuguese. “I always thought that Messi was better than Ronaldo, but after training with Ronaldo, I realized that he was right” , the 30-year-old striker released, according to information reproduced by ‘NTV Spor’
Read more>>>