Premier League stars to take the knee for first time this season as major call waits

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Premier League chief Richard Masters has revealed that players will take the knee this weekend in support of No Room for Racism. However, a decision on whether to continue making the gesture will be made after that.

The captains of the 20 top-flight sides are said to support the move, though individuals could still opt against participating. Most Women's Super League teams have already decided against taking the knee in matches marking Black History Month, believing the act is no longer meaningful.

The gesture was first introduced after the murder of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020. But in 2022, the Premier League confirmed that players would only take the knee in high-profile fixtures .

There was hope that reserving it for No Room for Racism matches in October and March, the Boxing Day fixtures, and the final league matches of the season would increase its resonance. However, a new decision will soon be made on whether to maintain it.

"It's always been their choice," Masters told Sky News. "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."

Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused at Anfield on the opening day of the Premier League season. The Cherries' match with Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute as Semenyo reported the incident to the referee.

A 47-year-old was arrested and banned from all UK football grounds while under investigation. Masters noted the protocols in place worked.

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He said: "A lot of our players and participants, managers, referees are subject to abuse, a lot of it racism. And we're trying our best to deal with that, working with our stakeholders and working with the social media companies to try to solve those issues."

The Premier League has also called on social media platforms to do more. They have called for algorithms to stop players seeing the abuse and to introduce additional protections.

Masters has also lobbied for greater identity checks to prevent anonymity empowering people to hurl abuse. "There's an anonymity to it, I think, which, perhaps wrongly, in my view, gives people the view that they can pretty much say and do what they want," he said.

"And I just simply don't think it should be part of a professional footballer's life to have to put up with this sort of stuff, which is why we're taking what action we can.

"Obviously, anything that makes it easier [to find the perpetrators] I would be in principle supportive of, but I think it goes to a lot of other issues around freedom of information."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.