The English Premier League has made it clear that there’s “no room for racism,” yet some players are pushing back against what seems like rigid, cult-like practices within the league.
As the 2026-2027 season approaches, the league continues to promote messages of diversity, equity, and inclusion, staying quite aligned with progressive ideals from previous years.
‘No, I don’t go down.’
The peculiar tradition of kneeling before matches is still prominent, with commentators frequently reiterating the league’s claim of zero tolerance for racism in soccer.
Even though George Floyd’s death occurred over six years ago – and it’s been over a decade since Colin Kaepernick took a knee in the NFL – the Premier League highlights its odd diversity benchmarks, including investigations into “4,000+ incidents of online discriminatory abuse.”
“We’ve taken legal action against offenders across three continents,” the league boasted on its anti-racism website.
However, there are players who have chosen not to participate in the kneeling act before games, which is particularly interesting given the near-universal compliance in the league.
As reported by Dissenter, various black English players, such as Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, have caught media attention for their decision to stand instead of kneel, a stance he took last season.
“Dom feels that he shows his respect by standing up, not by kneeling,” shared teammate Daniel Farke in an interview.
Last week, Everton player Ainsley Maitland-Niles was the only one on the field to refuse to kneel prior to a game.
Other black players, like Brazil’s Rayan Rocha and Tyler Adams from New York, who play for Bournemouth, have also made headlines for refusing to kneel recently.
Nonconformists also include Marc Guéhi and Issa Diop, who represent the Ivorian and Moroccan national teams, respectively, playing for Manchester City and Ipswich Town.
The league stated that “players will take a knee before kick-off during the next two match rounds as a sign of unity against all forms of discrimination.”
“This follows a decision made by captains at the beginning of the season,” the league further explained, according to Metro.
Furthermore, alongside its promotion of workforce diversity initiatives and guidance on women in hijabs, the league appears so deeply involved in DEI practices that it could rival the curriculum of the most liberal universities.
For instance, the Brentford Bees state on their platform that they are “dedicated to combating racism” while “ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion lie at the core of everything we do.”
Brentford even arranged for players Nathan Collins and Josh Dasilva to visit local schoolchildren for a DEI education session. During this visit, they emphasized the importance of “challenging discrimination” and “standing together against racism” with children from regions such as India and Kosovo.
Another event focused on instilling DEI values in children featured an organizer asserting how “crucial it is to continue to inform young people” about the league’s anti-racism initiatives.
At this gathering, children participated in soccer while engaging in “interactive educational workshops” designed to “educate on the significance of taking a stand against racism.”
