Taking the knee ‘not good enough’ – Wiegman

Because the anti-racism gesture’s impact is “not good enough,” England manager Sarina Wiegman claims her players decided to stop kneeling before games.

After defender Jess Carter revealed she had been the subject of racist abuse on social media throughout the tournament, the Lionesses will not kneel before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy on Tuesday.

England’s players reportedly said they would stop kneeling on Sunday because it was “clear we and football need to find another way to combat racism.”

That’s not enough, according to the statement. That has been done for some time. Wiegman told BBC Sport’s Dan Roan on Monday that the impact was insufficient and that it was not as large as we anticipated.

We felt that we needed to do something else, something different, when this kind of racism occurs, so we aren’t kneeling.

Georgia Stanway, an England midfielder, confirmed to BBC Sport that the squad would stand instead of kneel during kick-off.

“We feel like it has already taken the knees,” said Stanway.

“We still feel it even when we bend over.” We have made a decision to remain silent.

We believe that is a means of making changes in itself because we want to hear from people and let them know how inadequate the work is.

The abuse Carter suffered is being investigated by the police.

Fare, the head of the world’s largest anti-discrimination organization, questioned England’s decision to stop performing what it deemed a “powerful anti-racist act.”

Stanway praised Carter’s decision to expose the abuse and pledged the team’s support for their teammate.

It’s horrendous, remarked Stanway. We want to make sure Jess feels safe and can tell us when she is experiencing something because as a group we can be so powerful in our efforts to effect change, which is really challenging because we will never understand.

“That’s exactly what we’ve done right now,” he said. Jess is thinking about herself, and she is also thinking about other players as well, and it’s such a selfless thing to talk about something you’re going through in an effort to try to change things.

As England prepares to reach a third successive major tournament final, Wiegman confirmed Carter’s availability for play on Tuesday during her media conference on Monday.

Wiegman responded, “Of course we have had a conversation.” Jess is a strong person, even though it’s a difficult situation. She wants to move on as well, but both of us felt the need to address this; we can’t let it go. We did, too.

She’s prepared to compete and perform in the match. That is a strong indication of her and the team.

The Online Harms Act won’t eliminate online racist abuse on its own, according to Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in a BBC Sport interview.

The Lionesses deserve our full support, according to the statement, “I’m not going to criticize them for one moment.” They made their own decisions, she said.

We introduced the Online Harms Act this year to ensure that businesses that don’t remove this content are subject to sanctions, and we are working hard in schools to raise awareness of the effects of online abuse, but it’s up to everyone to do the same.

“I believe the act will continue to be put to the test whenever a problem arises, and it is incumbent on organizations like Ofcom and social media to take action to fix it.”

Colin Kaepernick, the first famous athlete to kneel during the national anthem before an NFL game in 2016, was the first high-profile player to do so. He claimed he couldn’t stand proud of the flag of a nation that oppressed black people.

Since then, the anti-racist statement has gained notoriety in sports and protests.

Following the murder of an unarmed African American man in the US who was killed during an arrest by white police officer Derek Chauvin, kneeling before football games became common in 2020.

Former England defender Izzy Christiansen backed the players’ decision to stop kneeling during a broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday Night Club.

It has power, in my opinion. I like their stance, and I like their sense of coherence. She said, “I think the fact that they have changed their stance on not kneeling to stand sends a message in and of itself.

It needs to change because it is systemic in both football and sport. Although there are differing viewpoints, it’s a brilliant idea for me personally because it shows that Jess [Carter] and we can work together.

There isn’t much controversy over the message because it is so clean. You don’t want any distractions when the game begins, and the statement resembles a very clear message. You want to continue with your preparations and let the team know where you stand. A powerful statement about what they want to do tomorrow will emerge.

Nedum Onuoha, a former Manchester City defender, expressed concern but agreed.

“I’m all for a strong statement,” I said. He remarked that having different viewpoints on a situation is beneficial.

“I’m only concerned if Italy decides to stand,” he said, adding that nothing seems to be happening as the game is about to begin. Then, it is dead and buried, no longer a conversation starter. What happens at the beginning is essentially what viewers will observe.