‘I alienated people that were supportive of me prior to that,’ the former England manager said. Former England manager Gareth Southgate has defended the team’s decision to take the knee during the 2020 Euros, though he admitted it “alienated” some people.
![[England manager Gareth Southgate says taking a knee to highlight racial injustice has built unity within his squad (Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/12/29/10/c9b78a6335b3a09f193ec20a8486b1c1Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQwODU2ODU0-2.62291017.jpg)
The gesture, popularised by NFL player Colin Kaepernick in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, involves players kneeling on one knee and gained prominence following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. While widely praised, it was criticised by some as an unnecessary “political gesture,” with a section of fans booing during matches. Politicians, including Priti Patel, also condemned it.
Southgate has previously stated that the act was not aligned with Black Lives Matter specifically but symbolised a broader stand against racism. At the time, he penned an open letter to fans outlining the team’s values and expectations for the nation.
“And also there was definitely the moment where we’d experienced some racism as a team, for example. “We played away in Bulgaria, and I felt that we’d dealt with that night as well as we could as a group, the lead into it and what happened on that night.
“I felt that we supported players in a better way than we had in the past.”. He explained that the decision was not made impulsively. “Before the Euros, we had extensive discussions as a team about whether we should take the knee and the players’ views.”.
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