DOHA: Team England will take a knee before their FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 opener against Iran, manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed.
England made the gesture against racism and inequality in 33 consecutive games after football resumed after the COVID-19 lockdown. The Three Lions will open their World Cup campaign against Iran at Khalifa International Stadium.
“We have discussed taking a knee. We feel we should. It’s what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time. Of course, we understand in the Premier League that clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions, we feel this is the biggest,” SKYsports quoted Southgate as saying.
“We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people in particular to see that inclusivity is very important,” he added.
Prior to the start of this season, Premier League captains made the decision to refrain from kneeling during certain parts of games.
Prior to the first round, the teams agreed to dedicate “No Room For Racism” matches in October and March, on Boxing Day and the final round, as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals. (ANI)