Marc Guéhi Declines to Take a Knee for Second Consecutive Week

England and Manchester City defender Marc Guéhi has again opted not to take the knee as part of the Premier League's 'No Room for Racism' initiative. This marks the second consecutive week the player has remained standing during the pre-match gesture. Guéhi cited that the act has become less impactful.

Last weekend, Guéhi, along with Ipswich Town's Issa Diop and Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, were among the players who did not take a knee. Guéhi, who has not been publicly available for comment regarding his decision this week, was observed standing and clapping before kick-off at Villa Park as Manchester City faced Aston Villa.

Issa Diop also maintained his standing posture on Friday night when Ipswich Town played Nottingham Forest. Diop was the sole player on the pitch not to take the knee, with both his teammates and Forest's players participating in the gesture.

While Diop has not publicly explained his decision, some players have voiced concerns that taking a knee has become a performative act lacking its original power. Leeds manager Daniel Farke, speaking on behalf of his player Dominic Calvert-Lewin last week, indicated that some players prefer to show respect by standing. Farke stated, '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 Premier League reintroduced the 'take the knee' gesture in October 2020, following the widespread protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in the United States. Initially enacted before every match, the gesture was limited to specific match rounds beginning in August 2022. Premier League captains agreed at the start of the current season to continue the gesture twice across the 38 rounds of matches.

However, the gesture has faced scrutiny from some players. In 2021, Wilfried Zaha stated that he found taking the knee to be 'degrading' and preferred to 'stand tall.' Last year, members of the England women's national team, the Lionesses, decided not to take the knee before their Euro 2025 semi-final match. Captain Lucy Bronze noted that the group felt the anti-racism message was not as potent as it once was, especially in light of racist abuse directed at teammate Jess Carter on social media. Bronze commented, 'Is the message really hitting hard? Because to us it feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives.'