England coach Gareth Southgate has said his players will take a knee before Monday's World Cup opener against Iran.
An anti-racist gesture that the players of the English national team have already made on other occasions since the death of George Floyd in 2020.
England's decision came after lengthy consultations: "We think it's a strong statement that will go around the world for young people, in particular, to make people understand that inclusiveness is very important," explained the coach .
Premier League players have also taken a knee before matches following the return of football since the Covid-19 shutdown in the summer of 2020, but this season the association has decided to use specific times to kneel, rather than doing the gesture at every game.
Southgate then also spoke about his team and the defections in view of the match against the Iranian side: "In terms of player availability, everyone is available except James Maddison. It's a bit early for Kyle Walker, but he trained with the team His recovery path, I must say, is also ahead of where we thought it could be at this stage" concluded Southgate.
The team captain will also wear the One Love armband to remember the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community not recognized in Qatar.