Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso will no longer take the knee as a sign of protest against racism because the Spain left-back believes the gesture is “losing a bit of strength.”
Alonso will instead point to an anti-racism badge on his shirt before kick-off.
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the trend of taking the knee to protest against police brutality and racial inequality.
Premier League clubs first began to perform the gesture when the 2019/20 season recommenced after a three-month stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic in the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in the United States.
England’s preparations for Euro 2020 were affected by some of their own supporters booing the act in pre-tournament friendlies against Romania and Austria.