Euro 2020: Scotland to join England in 'taking the knee'
Jun 12, 2021
Edinburgh [Scotland], June 12 : Scotland FA has confirmed that the men's team will be taking the knee alongside England before their encounter at the Wembley Stadium in the 2020 European Championships.
England will square off against Scotland at the Wembley Stadium next Friday and both teams will be taking the knee to show solidarity towards the anti-racism movement.
"We will show solidarity with our counterparts in England, many of whom are teammates of our own players, and who have found themselves on the receiving end of abuse from fans in recent international matches," Scotland head coach Steve Clarke said in a statement available on the Scotland FA website.
"We will continue to take a stand -- together, as one -- for our matches at Hampden Park. For our match at Wembley, we will stand against racism and kneel against ignorance," he added.
Scotland skipper Andy Robertson said that meaningful action is required if a significant change has to occur.
"Our stance is that everyone, players, fans, teams, clubs, federations, governing bodies, and governments must do more. Meaningful action is needed if meaningful change is to occur. But it is also clear, given the events around the England national team, taking the knee in this tournament matters as a symbol of solidarity," said Robertson.
"For this reason, we have collectively decided to again take the knee as a team for the fixture against England at Wembley Stadium," he added.
Earlier, some England fans had booed its players when they took the knee during two friendlies at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough. In the Euro 2020 opener on Friday, Italy defeated Turkey 3-0.
