November 3, 2020 5.31 pm This story is over 40 months old

Lincoln City to no longer take the knee

Only if the other team don’t either, though
Scenes from the first Black Lives Matter protest in Lincoln in June 2020 | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

Players and staff at Lincoln City Football Club will no longer ‘take the knee’ as a gesture of solidarity against racism.

Teams across professional English football have been starting each match this season by kneeling as part of the ‘No Room For Racism’ campaign.

This gesture was sparked by the global protest following George Floyd’s death in America, caused by a police officer kneeling on his neck.

The decision was made by Lincoln City to stop kneeling following the end of Black History Month in October, calling the gesture “incredibly powerful” as a force of good.

The club has stated, however, that should any opposition team choose to carry on taking the knee, the Imps will follow suit.

In a statement released by the club, a spokesperson said: “We firmly believe the gesture of taking the knee has positively kick-started conversations, motivated action, and as a force for good has been incredibly powerful.

“With this, we also recognise that gestures are not enough and that our actions will be the yardstick against which we are judged.

“Following the end of Black History Month, Lincoln City has after extensive consultation decided that we will no longer initiate the gesture of taking the knee before our first team fixtures.

“We will, however, continue to act in solidarity with our colleagues, should an opposition team wish to take the knee.

“Our primary focus will now be on intensifying our actions within the club and in the local communities we operate.”

The club has also encouraged feedback on any issues that fans may have with decisions around equality and diversity, offering the chance to email any queries to [email protected].

“We now ask all our fans, partners and associates to join us as we work together as a community, as a city, as a county, a country who look after each other not just today but every day.”