EURO 2020 is here and one new feature of the competition is the differing stance teams are taking against racism.England have become embroiled in a big row with the players condemning fans who booed them taking the knee in the warm-up games against Austria and Romania.
England will continue taking the knee throughout Euro 2020Credit: PA
And manager Gareth Southgate said the players are even more determined to take the knee following the booing.
Here are the gestures each of the 24 teams will be making during the tournament.
Which teams are taking the knee at Euro 2020?
England
England will continue to take the knee during Euro 2020, as they have been since the murder of George Floyd last year.
The team have stated that they believe the gesture is not a political one and designed simply to show support for racial equality.
Gareth Southgate said: “I think we have got a situation where some people seem to think it is a political stand that they don’t agree with.
“That is not the reason the players are doing it. We are supporting each other.”
Wales
Wales and France take the knee in a pre-Euro 2020 friendlyCredit: Reuters
Wales have taken the knee over the past year and continued to do so throughout Euro 2020.
Interim manager Rob Page said: “We had a meeting and we all think it’s still important to take the knee.
“That’s the message we’ve given out. We’re all in it together and there were no issues.”
Belgium
Belgium are the only non-British team to announce they will take the knee throughout Euro 2020.
Romelu Lukaku said of any negative reactions: “I don’t care. I fight for diversity.
“Not only for the black community, also for the women. Colour, sexuality, faith, it doesn’t matter. Everybody should be respected.”
Which teams have not taken the knee at Euro 2020?
Hungary
Hungary point to the Uefa Respect badge as Ireland take the kneeCredit: Reuters
The Hungarian FA were the first association to confirm they would not take the knee at Euro 2020.
In a statement they said they view the knee as a political gesture in defiance of Uefa and Fifa rules.
It read: “The basic values of the sport are equal opportunities, respect for the teammate and the opponent.
“Football may have become the most popular sport in the world because it belongs to everyone.
“The Hungarian national team not only follows the international rules and norms in all cases, but also pays tribute to everyone – be it an opponent, a fan or anyone else.
“MLSZ has been fighting all forms of hatred for years as part of the ‘Hate is not a track’ campaign.
“The rules of UEFA and FIFA do not allow politicization on the pitch and in the stadium either, which the MLSZ not only accepts but also agrees with.
“The national team will not express its condemnation of any form of hatred by kneeling before the matches.”
During their warm-up game against Ireland, Hungary pointed to the Uefa Respect logo on the sleeves of their shirts while the Irish team took the knee and were booed by a sizeable portion of the 15,000 crowd.
The gesture is thought to be hugely unpopular with a core group of Hungarian supporters, who marched to the Puskas Arena before Hungary’s game against France with an anti-kneeling banner.
Hungary fans hold up an anti-kneeling banner before their game against FranceCredit: AP
The Republic of Ireland’s players were booed and jeered by some Hungary fans as they took a knee before kick-off in their friendly in Budapest. pic.twitter.com/15npHfKZcE— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) June 8, 2021
Croatia
England’s first opponents at Euro 2020 did not take the knee but instead pointed to the Uefa Respect badge on their shirts.
An official statement read: “CFF and the players are against any form of discrimination.
“But the FA provides the players with the right to choose, as the act itself isn’t a part of Croatian culture and heritage.
“The players chose not to kneel down before the Belgium [friendly] game, but they’ve taken a respectful stance towards the gesture made by their Belgium colleagues.”
Denmark
Denmark did not take the knee in their Euro 2020 opener against Finland or their third game against Russia.
They also chose to remain standing during their games against Belgium and Wales, when the opposition took the knee.
However, the Danish players did applaud both teams for performing the gesture.
Russia
Russia did not take the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
The crowd in St Petersburg were also heard booing the Belgian team, who chose to kneel against the Russians and Finland, when they played in the city.
Holland
The Netherlands will not take the knee in any of their games, captain Georginio Wijnaldum has said.
Wijnaldum, who has been taking the knee with Liverpool in Premier League games, commented: “We have talked about that but we decided not to do this.
“We’re trying to bring attention to the issue in a different way. Actually, only the players who play in England are used to this [kneeling].”
However, Holland will take a political stance in favour of LGBT rights when they face Czech Republic in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
Hungary’s government has proposed a controversial constitutional amendment banning promotion of homosexuality to minors.
And then the Dutch play in the country, they will take to the pitch in rainbow armbands – the traditional symbol of support to the LGBT community.
In World Cup qualifiers, the Dutch have also worn t-shirts supporting improved conditions for migrant workers in 2022 World Cup host Qatar.
Austria
Despite taking the knee in a warm-up game against England, Austria have not taken the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
In his press conference before the last 16 game against Italy, captain David Alaba said the Austria team is in favour of kneeling and will do so if asked.
However, neither team requested to take the knee or performed the gesture when the Austrians faced Italy at Wembley.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia did not take the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
Ukraine
Ukraine have not taken the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
Czech Republic
Czech Republic refused to take the knee in their World Cup qualifier against Wales in March and have not done so at Euro 2020.
The Czechs decided to point to the Uefa Respect logo in their sleeves on that occasion as a “neutral, apolitical gesture”.
The Czechs are have also been angered by the ten-game suspension Uefa handed down to defender Ondrej Kudela after he was found to have racially abused Rangers’ Glen Kamara.
Spain
While some La Liga players have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, the Spain team have never taken the knee and their clubs also tend not to.
Real Madrid did not take the knee against Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City while Villarreal chose not to kneel against Man Utd in the Europa League final.
When Granada played Man Utd, only Brazilian winger Kenedy took the knee.
Spain have not taken the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games so far.
Sweden
Sweden have not taken the knee at any of their Euro 2020 games so far.
It is not known whether they will kneel if the opposition choose to do so.
Poland
Poland point to their Uefa Respect badge as England take the kneeCredit: Getty
Poland did not take the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
The gesture has been criticised by both the Polish FA president and sections of their support.
The Poles refused to kneel against England and instead pointed to the Uefa Respect logo on their sleeves.
Polish FA President Zbigniew Boniek labelled the gesture “populism” that “achieved nothing” and said: “I am absolutely against such actions.
“Footballers sometimes kneel, and if you asked some of them why they were kneeling, they wouldn’t even know.”
Slovakia
Slovakia did not take the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
The Slovaks took the knee against Ireland and Scotland last October but were criticised in the Slovakian parliament.
After this, the country’s FA said the players had only taken the knee because they believed Uefa had instructed them to do so and would no longer perform the gesture.
France
France took the knee in their first warm-up friendly against Wales but not in their second one against Bulgaria.
The French team were expected to kneel throughout Euro 2020 but changed their mind at the last minute.
Les Bleus were criticised in some sections of the French media after kneeling against the Welsh.
And captain Hugo Lloris said after the opening game against Germany: “It was a collective decision.
“We assume that if we have to do it, all the nations must do it with the support of UEFA.
“This is the case in Premier League, where the movement is united. In this competition, it is less the case.
“This does not mean that we do not support the cause, we especially do not want racism in our sport and in society.”
Another France player said anonymously: “The truth is that players were concerned about the fierce reaction to the gesture, and felt that it was dividing more than uniting.”
It is not known whether France will take the knee if the opposition does.
Germany
Bundesliga players took the knee after the murder of George Floyd last season but the national team have not been kneeling in 2021.
However, captain Manuel Neuer has suggested they could do so when they play England.
He told Kicker: “Basically, we think that’s very good from the English national team and from the teams that also do it in the Premier League.
“We haven’t seen it in this form from the Bundesliga or our international matches. We talk about it in the team.”
Despite Germany choosing not to kneel so far, politics and football resolutely DO mix in the country.
Like Holland, the German team has been active in demonstrating for better conditions for migrant workers in Qatar.
And during Germany’s match with Hungary, the Mayor of Munich saw his request to light the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours rejected by Uefa on grounds of potential politicisation of football.
However, thousands of Germany fans responded by attending the game wearing rainbow flags while captain Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow armband.
And midfielder Leon Goretzka celebrated by making a heart gesture in front of the Hungarian fans after equalising in the 2-2 draw.
Which teams are taking the knee in some Euro 2020 games?
Scotland have made their decision ahead of their opener against Czech Republic
Scotland stars originally said they would NOT be taking a knee prior to their Euro 2020 matches.
The Scottish FA confirmed they will continue to promote an anti-racist message by standing before matches.
But just a day later, they decided to do so in their match against England only.
Scotland skipper 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.”
As per their announcement, Scotland did not kneel against the Czech Republic and Croatia at Hampden but did against England at Wembley.
Italy
Italy were not thought to be taking the knee in any of their Euro 2020 games.
In their opening two matches against Switzerland and Turkey, neither team performed the gesture.
And when Wales took the knee in Rome, the Italians initially kicked off the match as normal.
However once the referee called them back, five players did take the knee – Rafael Toloi, Federico Bernardeschi, Emerson Palmieri, Andrea Bellotti and Matteo Pessina.
Following that confusion, vice-captain Leonardo Bonucci said Italy would in future take the knee if the opposition choose to do so.
He commented: “If in fact the opponents were to choose to kneel in that case the team would do the same, kneel, out of respect for the sensitivity of the opponents.
“This is where the group chose a line.
“After all, it could happen very soon: if all goes well, already in the quarterfinals he could meet Lukaku’s Belgium, which has made its own flag with messages against racism.
“Belgium would kneel and Italy would follow them. Without taking a position of its own, but sharing that of whoever they will face.”
Turkey
Turkey did not take the knee in their opening match against Italy or their third game against Switzerland but did in their second game against Wales.
Switzerland
Switzerland did take the knee in their opening Euro 2020 game against Wales but did not in their second game against Italy or their third game against Turkey.
Finland
Finland did not take the knee in their first two Euro 2020 games against Denmark and Russia, but did in their third game against Belgium.
Portugal
Portugal did not take the knee in any of their group games.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo led the team in performing the gesture before their last 16 defeat to Belgium. More
