According to "Varzesh3", Guehi had announced last week that the gesture has lost its meaning. Before yesterday's match against Aston Villa at Villa Park, unlike the other players, he stood and applauded instead of taking the knee.

The gesture is performed as part of the "No Room for Racism" campaign in the Premier League, which allows players to protest against discrimination over two weeks this month. However, some players took a different decision. 

Issa Diop, the Ipswich Town defender, was also the only player not to take the knee on Friday night before the match against Nottingham Forest. Last week, players such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Everton, Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds, and Ryan and Tyler Adams of Bournemouth also remained standing. The anti-racism gesture was even accompanied by whistling and booing from some fans at Stamford Bridge before the Chelsea vs Tottenham match.

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The stance of the players refusing to do so has drawn many reactions. Daniel Farke, the Leeds manager, explained his striker's view: "Dom says no, I will not kneel on the ground. I show my respect by standing. Every person is different and expresses their respect for this campaign in another way."

This is not the first time such a protest has taken shape. Wilfried Zaha rejected the gesture in 2021, saying: "I feel taking the knee is degrading, because my family taught me to be proud of being Black whatever the circumstances, and we must stand completely tall."

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Also, last year the England women's national team decided not to take the knee before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy, after racist abuse directed at Jess Carter online. Lucy Bronze, captain of the England women's team, said: "Collectively, we felt: is this message really as powerful as it used to be? Because when these things still happen to our players at the biggest tournaments of our lives, we feel the message is not working."

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However, Piara Powar, head of the international anti-discrimination in football body, questioned the England women's team's decision and said: "The players decided to stop taking the knee, which is their right; but taking the knee is a powerful act against racism." 

When Enzo Maresca, the City manager, was asked whether he had spoken to his players about the issue, he replied briefly: "No, the players are aware of the information and the details."

Source: Varzesh3