Marc Guehi did not take the knee before Manchester City's home game against Ipswich in the Premier League on Saturday. The gesture returned this weekend as the first of two rounds of Premier League matches dedicated to the competition's No Room For Racism campaign, and Guehi said he has not been taking the knee for a while because he prefers to clap instead.

Guehi's explanation

Speaking to the Independent and BBC, Marc Guéhi said, "Maybe. I haven’t been taking the knee for a while now, to be honest. I’d always clap, just because of what that actually signifies." He also said, "I don't think it's necessarily a football issue, I think it's a wider societal issue and football is just that beacon of hope to try and get the message out."

Guehi has made seven Premier League appearances and played 634 minutes this season, so this is not a fringe player's passing comment. His 7.35 rating points to a defender in regular form, and the remarks come from someone still fully involved in the weekly rhythm of the league.

The wider campaign

The anti-racism gesture was introduced in June 2020, after Premier League players began taking the knee following George Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter protests. This season, captains agreed to take the knee during October's No Room For Racism fixtures, which coincide with Black History Month in the UK.

Kick It Out said the gesture "still has value in raising awareness" and said it can understand why players might become frustrated with the pace of change. Richard Masters said, "We are using the reach of our players to send an important message: we are united in the fight against racism."

Daniel Farke also pointed to different ways of showing respect, saying of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, "Dom is more or less like, 'no, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up'. Every individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way."

Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored three Premier League goals in seven appearances this season, and his stance was discussed in the same weekend that six players across five clubs stayed standing. Guehi's point is not that the message should stop, but that the campaign needs to keep moving forward, and the Premier League's October fixtures are still being used to carry it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →