English soccer teams are still kneeling to protest racism — and it's as embarrassing as ever
The English Premier League says it has "no room for racism," but some players are refusing to fall in line with the league's cult-like practices.
For the 2026-2027 season, the top soccer league in England is still pumping out diversity, equity, and inclusion messaging reminiscent of years past and seems heavily entrenched in progressive ideology.
'No, I don't go down.'
The bizarre ritual of kneeling before games persists as well, with announcers routinely citing the league's tagline that there's no room for racism in soccer.
Even though George Floyd died more than six years ago — and more than a decade has passed since Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in the NFL — the Premier League is boasting bizarre DEI benchmarks, like its investigations into "4,000+ cases of online discriminatory abuse."
"Legal action [has been] brought against abusers across three continents," the league bragged on its anti-racism page.
There have been some players who have refused to participate in the pregame kneel, however, which is still noteworthy in a league with near 100% compliance.
As reported by Dissenter, multiple black English players garnered media attention for refusing to kneel, like Leeds United player Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who began defying the standard last season.
"Dom is more or less like, 'No, I don't go down. I show my respect by standing up,'" teammate Daniel Farke explained.
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Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles was the only player on the field who refused to kneel before a game last week.
More black players like Brazil's Rayan Rocha and New York-born Tyler Adams, both of whom play for Bournemouth, made headlines for their refusal recently, too.
Other nonconformists include Ivorian player Marc Guéhi and Morocco national team member Issa Diop, who play for Manchester City and Ipswich Town, respectively.
The league said in a statement that "players will be taking the knee before kick-off during the next two match rounds to show unity against all forms of discrimination."
"This is in line with the decision made by captains at the start of the season," the league added, per Metro.
On top of showcasing workforce diversity quotas and women in hijabs coaching soccer, the league seems so deeply rooted in DEI that it could rival the most liberal university syllabus in terms of dedication to the progressive ideology.
For example, the Brentford Bees note on their website that the team is "committed to tackling racism" while "ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do."
Brentford even had players Nathan Collins and Josh Dasilva visit schoolchildren for a DEI indoctrination session. The athletes spoke to children from India and Kosovo on the importance of "challenging discrimination" and to "stand together against racism."
Another event aimed at teaching children about DEI had an organizer saying it is "hugely important that we continue to educate young people" about the league's anti-racism action plan.
At this event, children got to play soccer in exchange for participating in "interactive educational workshops" that included "educating young people on the importance of acting against racism."
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A comfortable couch and pillow is all you need to enjoy World Cup soccer. Enjoy the extra sleep, and hope for a scoreless game for maximum pleasure.
Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
The lesson our foreign friends should learn is that America’s heart and soul has very little to do with our fast food and fast cars.
Soccer is fundamentally a Third World exercise in tribal warfare.
The England squad may play in whites, but they certainly don’t play for them anymore. And they absolutely, definitely, don’t kneel for them.
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