Marc Gu00hi Declines to Take Knee for Second Consecutive Week

England and Manchester City defender Marc Gu00hi has opted not to take the knee for the second consecutive week, a stance he has explained by suggesting the gesture has "lost its meaning." Gu00hi remained standing and applauded before Saturday's Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Villa Park, an action that aligns with his views expressed earlier in the week.

He was among several players who did not participate in the anti-racism gesture during the Premier League's "No Room for Racism" initiative last weekend. This included Ipswich Town's Issa Diop, Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Leeds' Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Bournemouth's Rayan and Tyler Adams. Diop also notably remained standing during Ipswich Town's match against Nottingham Forest on Friday night.

While Diop has not publicly commented on his decision, the gesture of taking the knee has become a point of division among players. Some, like Calvert-Lewin, have expressed a preference for standing as a sign of respect, with Leeds manager Daniel Farke explaining that his striker believes "No, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up." Farke added, "Every individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way. It's definitely a good campaign and a good topic that football and sports, in general, support situations like this because a dressing room is a perfect example of how we should all live together."

The practice of taking the knee was introduced in the UK in 2020, following the death of George Floyd in U.S. police custody and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement. It was observed before every game until August 2022, when its implementation was limited to specific match rounds dedicated to the "No Room for Racism" initiative. Premier League captains had agreed at the start of the season to continue the gesture twice over the 38-round season.

However, some prominent figures have voiced opposition to the gesture. In 2021, Wilfried Zaha stated, "I feel like taking the knee is degrading, because growing up my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be black no matter what and I feel like we should just stand tall."

Last year, the Lionesses, England's women's national football team, also chose not to take the knee before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy. Captain Lucy Bronze explained that the decision was made by the group, with the feeling that "the message is not as strong as it used to be" in light of continued racist abuse directed at players like defender Jess Carter. Bronze suggested that "more needs to be done in football, more needs to be done in society."

The head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, Piara Powar, questioned the Lionesses' decision at the time, telling BBC Sport, "Personally don't see the link between the two. The taking of the knee is a powerful anti-racist act and this England team have shown leadership across Europe in taking it for so long. Powerful actions are needed right now, to deal with the issues that are being played out as we speak."