Wilfred Zaha called for greater efforts towards education on racial inequality, and said social media companies should start taking “strong measures” on abuse after he chose not to kneel before the Crystal Palace match against West Bromwich Albion begins. Since Project Restart last summer, players, officials and employees before the start of the Premier League and Premier League matches have made the gesture in protest of racial discrimination. Speaking at the Financial Times Business Summit last month, Zaha assured that he would stop kneeling because the gesture was “offensive” and encouraged players to “stand tall” in defiance of racism. In a statement, the midfielder said: “My decision to stand at the start of the match was general knowledge two weeks ago.” No right or wrong decision, but for me personally I feel that kneeling has become part of my pre-match routine and at the moment not regardless of whether We were kneeling or standing, some of us were still being abused. “I know there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes in the Premier League and other authorities to bring about change, and I totally respect that, and everyone involved.” I also fully respect my team-mates and players in other clubs who keep taking the knee. “As a society, I feel we should encourage better education in schools, and social media companies should take strong action against people who mistreat others online – not just soccer players.” Now I just want to focus on football and have fun getting back to playing on the field. “I will continue to stand tall.” More to follow …
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