Leeds boss Daniel Farke has said that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed “respect” after not taking the knee prior to Leeds United‘s draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
Players have taken the knee across Premier League fixtures this weekend as a part of the league’s “No Room for Racism” campaign, but Calvert-Lewin joined the few who opted against, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Issa Diop and Marc Guéhi also choosing to stand before their games on Saturday.
Speaking after the game at Elland Road, Farke defended Calvert-Lewin’s decision and praised the Premier League’s initiative.
“Dom [Calvert-Lewin] is more or less like, ‘No, I don’t go down. I show my respect by standing up,’ every individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way,” Farke said.
“It’s definitely a good campaign and a good topic that football and sports, in general, support situations like this because a dressing room is a perfect example of how we should all live together.
“Different passports, different languages, different religions, but they are all together as human beings and friends who work together toward one target. This is how the world should be.”
The league’s campaign aligns with Black History Month and the gesture was introduced in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd by former police officer Derek Chauvin in the United States.
Then of Crystal Palace, Wilfred Zaha was the first player to opt against taking the knee before a game in 2021.
– Seven games, seven points: Man United are sleepwalking to another lost season
