Guehi says taking the knee may have lost its meaning as he skips gesture against Ipswich

Marc Guehi has said taking the knee may have lost its meaning, after the Manchester City defender declined to perform the anti-racism gesture before his side’s Premier League home fixture against Ipswich on Saturday — one of two rounds of matches dedicated to the competition’s ‘No Room For Racism’ campaign.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Guehi was careful to frame his decision not as indifference to racism but as a belief that the sport needs to find more effective ways to drive change. “Whether more can be done — more can always be done,” he said. “We have to see how we can move the campaign along. I don’t think it’s necessarily a football issue. I think it’s a wider societal issue and football is that beacon of hope to try to get the message out.”

Asked directly whether the gesture had lost its meaning, Guehi replied: “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 did not elaborate further on his personal reasons for stepping away from the gesture.

Guehi was not alone at the weekend. Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin also stood while teammates and Manchester United players knelt before Saturday’s match, which ended 1-1, with Calvert-Lewin scoring. Leeds manager Daniel Farke explained the decision afterwards. “Dom is more or less like, ‘No, I don’t go down. I show my respect by standing up, more or less,’” Farke said. “I think each individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way.”

The knee-taking gesture was introduced in June 2020 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Premier League has moved away from requiring it before every match, instead inviting players to participate on selected occasions throughout the campaign.

Guehi is not the first prominent Black player to distance himself from the gesture. In 2021, Wilfried Zaha — then at Crystal Palace — said he would no longer take the knee, describing it as “degrading” and arguing that the symbolism had become routine rather than meaningful. “I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now,” Zaha said at the time.

Guehi indicated he hopes to work with the PFA and the Premier League to develop the anti-racism campaign further, though he offered no specific proposals.