Do you WANT to keep taking the knee? Premier League footballers are asked if they want to STOP the pre-match gesture by the PFA after fans booed it across Football League grounds
- The survey was issued to all male and female professional clubs in England
- It asks whether players would prefer to take the knee individually or as a squad
- The PFA have also enquired what should be done if the gesture faces a backlash
- The trade union offered the chance for players to suggest alternative gestures
The PFA has issued a survey to all professional male and female clubs in England asking them if they want to continue taking the knee.
The questionnaire sent out to all Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League clubs includes five questions on whether the pre-match gesture should be carried on in support of black lives and anti-racism.
The survey asks whether players from each club would prefer to take the knee as a squad or individually and what should be done if there is a backlash from fans.
The PFA has issued a survey to all clubs asking them if they want to continue taking the knee
The final two questions ask the players if they wish to see an alternative gesture replace the current one, while also encouraging them to provide details of what they think would be more appropriate.
The news comes after two more football matches faced a backlash from supporters after players took the knee earlier this week.
An Exeter fan was thrown out for booing during his side’s home clash against Harrogate Town, while jeers were also heard at the Cambridge United ground during their game against Colchester United.
But fellow spectators at both grounds responded by applauding and cheering before the matches got underway, drowning out the boos.
There were similar scenes at Abbey Stadium where Cambridge United hosted Colchester
The incidents are the latest example of a backlash against taking the knee, which spread around the world following the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota in the US.
Many see the act as a symbol of anti-racism, but some football fans have questioned its links to BLM, which in the UK has become associated with the toppling of statues and far-left political beliefs.
In the wake of the backlash against the Millwall booing, Environment Secretary George Eustice called BLM a ‘political movement,’ that doesn’t reflect ‘what most of us believe’.
Millwall became the first club to boo the knee gesture at a home game against Derby at the Den on December 5, prompting the club to say they were ‘dismayed and saddened’ by what had happened.
One supporter was ejected from Exeter City’s home clash against Harrogate Town on Tuesday
A similar incident took place before Millwall’s game against Derby earlier this month