Daniel Farke says his Leeds United players' participation in the Premier League's pre-game anti-racism gesture is a matter of individuality.
On Saturday Leeds took part in the first of two designated fixtures in which the top flight's No Room For Racism campaign will be highlighted. A Premier League press release confirmed that players would take the knee at games between October 18 and 26 to 'show unity against all forms of discrimination.' According to the league the decision to repeat a gesture which previously took place before all games was made by club captains. The No Room For Racism fixtures fall within Black History Month in the UK.
Leeds and their hosts Burnley took the knee on Saturday at Turf Moor to a mixed reception, with loud booing heard from sections of the crowd. Clarets boss Scott Parker said in his post-game press conference that he didn't notice or hear the boos so he would not comment.
The anti-racism gesture was brought up in Farke's press conference too, because one of his players declined to take part. Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin remained standing while the rest of the players on the pitch knelt down. Speaking immediately after the game Farke had no insight on why Calvert-Lewin took that decision but recalled a former Leeds player's preference for standing.
"I don't know," he said. "It's up to the individual player. So I think we had this taking the knee for such a long time. I worked with Cree Summerville, where he was never doing it and I asked him once, and he said 'I'd rather stand up against racism.' So everyone has his own ideas. You have to ask him [Calvert-Lewin] so I wouldn't interpret too much into it."
Previously a number of players have questioned the effectiveness of the gesture. It was introduced in the UK in 2020 to support the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death in police custody of George Floyd in America. Two years later the Premier League stopped taking the knee after consulting with players, deciding instead to limit it to designated No Room for Racism fixtures.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters told Sky News earlier this year: "It's always been their choice. It's never been something that has been forced upon them, either collectively or individually. They had another discussion in the summer. They're going to do it really at the No Room for Racism match rounds. We then decide whether they want to continue or stop. So I think they want to make sure whatever they do, it's effective."
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