Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha became the first Premier League player not to take a knee in protest against racism when he stayed standing with his hands behind his back before kickoff in Saturday's 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The Ivory Coast international said last month he would stop taking a knee before matches because he believes the meaning of the gesture, which he called "degrading," has been lost.
Players have been taking a knee since July, initially in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement before the Premier League and English Football League linked the gesture to their own anti-racism campaigns.
"There is no right or wrong decision, but... I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn't matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse," Zaha said in a statement on Saturday.
Premier League players, including Zaha, have been racially abused online, prompting English soccer bodies to put pressure on social media companies to tackle the problem.
A reminder why Wilfried Zaha is no longer taking the knee. pic.twitter.com/WFKObncWLC
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 13, 2021
"I know there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes at the Premier League and other authorities to make change, and I fully respect that and... my teammates and players at other clubs who continue to take the knee," Zaha added.
"As a society, I feel we should be encouraging better education in schools, and social media companies should be taking stronger action against people who abuse others online — not just footballers."
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru Editing by Toby Davis)
