‘Taking knee’ has not brought change - Britt Assombalonga on why Middlesbrough took a stand


Players getting down on one knee at the start of matches has been a regular feature since Sheffield United players David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp put the idea forward before the first game of the restarted Premier League season, in mid-June, shortly after the worldwide backlash prompted by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
The gesture was popularised by NFL player Colin Kaepernick in 2006 when he refused to stand for the national anthem as a protest against racial oppression.
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Hide AdIt remains a regular Premier League feature but is becoming piecemeal in the divisions below with some clubs questioning whether they should continue doing it, and others calling for guidance from the Football League.


“It’s something we’ve been thinking about as a squad,” explained Assombalonga.
“As a captain, I spoke to the boys because I wanted to take that responsibility.
“QPR didn’t do it at their last game, so it was something we spoke about. There’s an important point to it, but I just feel now that there has to be action. It has to lead to something, as opposed to just being a trend.
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Hide Ad“I’ve probably got six or seven years left of my career – I don’t want to be taking a knee every time but still be waiting for a change.
“I’ve got a little girl, and I don’t want her to be asking, ‘Daddy, why do you keep on taking a knee?’, and then when I explain to her, she asks, ‘Well, has there been any change?’, and I have to say, ‘Well, no, actually.’”
Assombalonga is a strong advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement – its hashtag appears in place of his name on the striker’s Twitter account.
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