Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has confirmed that his side will continue to take the knee in the upcoming Premier League campaign in ongoing protests against racism in the sport.
Racial abuse been a consistent feature of football, with the reaction to European Championship final in particular showcasing such vile behaviour from supporters in the aftermath of penalty misses from Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
“On behalf of all of the players at Liverpool, I want to restate our commitment to taking the knee in the Premier League this season and welcome the decision that was taken by the Premier League last week,” the skipper was quoted as saying by liverpoolfc.com.
“There has been unfounded debate about why footballers are continuing to demonstrate in this way but there should be none. It is very simple – we are protesting against racism.
“The question should no longer be why are we doing it, it should be why wouldn’t we? This is a necessary response to a problem that we know exists and which we also know should not be happening.
“So I’m proud of my teammates when we take the knee and I also couldn’t have been prouder to be captain of this club when our supporters applauded us as we did so.
“It is only by doing what is right and coming together that we can achieve positive change and it is in this spirit that we will carry on taking the knee.”
The Reds’ men’s team will be joined by the women’s in taking an active stand against racism, ‘No Room for Racism’ and ‘Take a Stand’ badges to be fitted on each respective team’s kit for the foreseeable future.
It’s a response from the club that we at Empire of the Kop wholeheartedly support.
While we believe that more should be done by those in charge of social media platforms, not to mention at a broader, overarching level in terms of national governance and policy, it’s important for millions to see their heroes opposing racism.
It will, as we’ve noted, take a united front from across the border of the sport but it’s a critical statement to make and uphold whilst such abuse remains prevalent in society.
This year we're up for 'Best Club Content Creator' at @The_FCAs and we'd love your support!
If you're a fan of our content, feel free to throw us a vote. Cheers! 💪🔴
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) July 30, 2021