The Real Reason Why One West Ham Player Refused to Take Knee vs Brentford

The reason why one West Ham player elected not to take the knee before their match against Brentford on Monday night has now been revealed. The Premier League reaffirmed its commitment to fighting prejudice and promoting diversity in sport by dedicating all fixtures between October 18 and October 26 to the ‘No Room For Racism’ campaign.

This was the first occasion this season that England’s top division clubs had participated in the gesture. Following conversations with players, the Premier League stated in August 2022 that teams would no longer take the knee before each match, since the repeated repetition was beginning to diminish its significance. As a result, the anti-racist gesture was restricted to the ‘No Room For Racism’ match rounds. See the following:

Two years later, it is uncertain whether the campaign is more powerful than when it began. During Leeds United’s trip to Burnley, sections of the audience were heard booing the act, causing Daniel Farke to explain why Dominic Calvert-Lewin elected not to kneel after the game. Then, during Monday Night Football, Crysencio Summerville opted out of the gesture.

Why didn’t Crysencio Summerville take a knee before the Brentford match?

According to the Daily Mail, Leeds United confirmed that they allow their players to do whatever they want, pointing out that Crysencio Summerville never took the knee while playing for the club, which could explain why he doesn’t do it now that he plays for West Ham.

“It is up to each individual player.” “We had this taking the knee for such a long time,” stated Leeds manager Daniel Farke, justifying Calvert-Lewin’s choice.

“I remember asking Cree (Crysencio) Summerville, who never took the knee, and he said, ‘I’d rather stand up against racism,’ so everyone has different beliefs. You would have to ask Dominic. “I wouldn’t interpret too much.”

Burnley manager Scott Parker maintained he was ignorant of the boos from the fans before his team’s relegation six-pointer against Leeds. Elsewhere in the country, the Daily Mail said that fans mainly responded positively, though many paid little heed to the gesture.

Before Sunderland’s game against Wolves, there was clapping and a few whistles at the Stadium of Light. The gesture was greeted with polite applause from fans at Brighton, who were hosting Newcastle, and Fulham, who were playing Arsenal. Meanwhile, there was little reaction at Manchester City’s match against Everton at the Etihad Stadium or Crystal Palace’s home game against Bournemouth.

There was also no reaction from the audience at Nottingham Forest’s lunchtime match against Chelsea, where all players took a knee except Forest custodian Mats Sels, who looked to be unaware of the gesture because he was busy hanging his towel on the goal net.