England will take a knee ahead of kick-off against Croatia; Kick It Out and FSA want fans attending Wembley to "drown out boos with applause" after the gesture was met with jeers by some supporters in Euro 2020 warm-up fixtures against Austria and Romania
Thursday 10 June 2021 14:05, UK
Kick It Out and the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) have called on England fans to drown out potential boos at Wembley this Sunday by applauding their players for taking a knee.
England face Croatia in their Euro 2020 opener on Sunday, with Gareth Southgate's side set to take a knee despite facing jeers from some supporters in warm-up fixtures against Austria and Romania.
"Jeering the players is also jeering what the gesture stands for," Kick It Out and FSA said in a joint-statement on Thursday.
Kick It Out and FSA's initiative had considered chanting before kick-off, with "Kick it out" or "England, England!" both potential options, but the organisations have called on those attending the match to applaud when the referee blows his whistle and the players bend down.
Tony Burnett, Kick It Out CEO, said: "Gareth Southgate and the England players have made their position really clear - they are taking the knee as an anti-discrimination gesture, it is in no way linked to any political organisation.
"All of us England fans, myself included, want to see England succeed in the Euros, so we are asking for fans at the games to drown out boos with applause and show the players we are behind them.
"For those fans who have booed or want to boo, we would urge you to think about how that impacts the players - the same players who we want to bring England success in this tournament.
"The real issue we all want to address is tackling discrimination in football, and that is something we can and should all get behind. So let's support the team, support the players and unite against racism and all forms of discrimination."
Southgate and his players remain defiant they will continue to take a knee and have reiterated it is a show of unity in the fight against racial discrimination and social injustice and not politically motivated.
The FA is also working on a new video message for supporters which will coincide with the tournament kick-off, encouraging fans to get behind the team on and off the pitch.
The governing body is desperate to avoid further scenes of dissent from the crowd, which officials feel is both embarrassing to a global audience and negative to the team's chances.
FSA chief executive Kevin Miles added: "Fans who turn up to support the England team and make their first act after the referee's whistle booing their own team's stance against racism, should be ashamed of themselves.
"We stand with those supporters who have reacted positively by applauding the players taking part in their demonstration.
"The boos are particularly disappointing given that just 20 months ago England fans took a strong stance against racism - backing their players during an onslaught of racist abuse directed at every black England player from the Bulgarian crowd in Sofia.
"We would urge everyone to show solidarity once more by supporting the team, supporting the players and supporting the knee."
Kunal Sapat, founder of England fan group Block 109, said: "Our aim at Block 109 is to show support to the England team on and off the pitch.
"We are against all forms of discrimination and with this being the most important tournament on home soil for a generation and our best chance to win a trophy, we urge fans to show positive support to our players taking the knee in the fight against racism."
Scotland have confirmed they will not be taking a knee during this summer's tournament but have vowed to continue to take a stand against racism.
Manager Steve Clarke spoke exclusively to Sky Sports News in March to outline the side's position, saying the decision had come because his team felt taking the "powerful symbol" had become diluted.
Instead the squad, coaching staff and backroom members will stand up to racism ahead of the Group D matches against Czech Republic, England and Croatia.
Captain Andy Robertson said: "It is important we continue to tackle the issue of racism and raise awareness of the need to change people's mindsets but also their behaviours.
"Prior to our World Cup qualifiers in March we spoke as a group and felt that taking a stand was the best way for us to show solidarity and also to reinforce the need for meaningful change in society."
More football fans in Europe - including in England, Scotland and Wales - are supportive of players taking a knee than against it, but they are split over the gesture's importance in tackling racism, according to a major survey.
Polling company YouGov has shared with Sky Sports News the results of a study of 4,500 football fans carried out across nine countries in March this year, during the football season.
Most nations and groups had more fans who supported players taking a knee, with opposition mostly coming from a vocal minority.
Fans were asked: In some countries, professional football players and staff have chosen to kneel at the beginning of each game to show their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Would you support or oppose professional players and staff in your country kneeling before each game in this fashion?
In England, from a survey of 547 football fans, 54 per cent said they support players and staff taking a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Half of these people (27 per cent) said they strongly support it, with the other half somewhat supporting it.
Some 39 per cent of football fans in England said they opposed players taking a knee while seven per cent said they did not know. In the last fortnight, England players faced boos from some of their own fans attending their final two Euro 2020 warm-up games at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.
In Scotland 49 per cent said they supported players taking a knee, with 42 per cent against from a survey of 352 football fans completed at the end of February. In Wales, from a sample of 308 football fans, 53 per cent said they were supportive of the gesture with 37 per cent opposing it.
YouGov also spoke to a sample of almost 200 ethnically diverse football supporters in Great Britain. Among those fans, 78 per cent said they supported it, 12 per cent did not, with 10 per cent saying they did not know.
There were also high levels of support among fans in some European countries. Portugal had the highest with 79 per cent, followed by Italy (73 per cent) and Spain (71 per cent). Only the Netherlands had less support and more opposition with 44 per cent in favour, and 45 per cent not supporting the move.
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Kick It Out is football's equality and inclusion organisation - working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change.
