Everton star Ainsley Maitland-Niles refuses to take the knee as Premier League kick off anti-racism weekend

· DailyMail

The Premier League's 'No Room For Racism' weekend got underway at the Hill Dickinson Stadium during the lunchtime contest, with all 22 players invited to kneel on the turf.

Everton star Ainsley Maitland-Niles refused to follow his Toffees team-mates in taking the knee before their clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

The Premier League 's 'No Room For Racism' initiative got underway at the Hill Dickinson Stadium during the lunchtime contest, with players invited to kneel on the turf ahead of kick off.

However, former Arsenal defender Maitland-Niles remained stood. He was the only player who opted against carrying out the anti-racism gesture.

Maitland-Niles' reasons for not kneeling are not yet known. However, a number of footballers have expressed concern that the gesture has lost its value.

In 2021, former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha described kneeling as 'degrading' while Ivan Toney said: 'We are being used as puppets.'

Players and staff will have the opportunity to perform the pre-match gesture for the next two gameweeks in October, with the Premier League reiterating ' the commitment to tackling discrimination and highlight the importance of diversity in football'.

The move started in the UK in 2020 following the death in US police custody of George Floyd, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

In August 2022, the Premier League stopped taking the knee before every match after consulting with players. Instead, a decision was made to limit the gesture to match rounds falling during the No Room For Racism initiative.

More to follow.

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