I WILL go to Millwall with Watford on December 29 and, before kick-off, I will take the knee.
The same as I will at any other ground.
Watford captain Troy Deeney says footballers taking the knee is purely a stance against racial discrimination and injustice, nothing to do with MarxismCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Millwall players wore anti-racism tops after some fans booed taking the kneeCredit: Millwall FC
That’s because I am not prepared to allow people to use lies and innuendos to blur the message of anti-racism.
This is a new one on me, having to make the same argument time and again, to people who are either stupid or simply do not want to listen.
So let’s get this clear — I don’t know any footballers who are Marxists and I don’t believe any footballers are being duped by Marxists into taking the knee.
Taking the knee is a statement against racial discrimination and injustice.
It is not about the political movement Black Lives Matter, whatever the politics some members of that movement may or may not have.
This Tuesday night was a significant one for the anti-racism movement.
Events at Paris Saint-Germain and Millwall felt like a watershed.
When PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players walked off the pitch after Istanbul coach Pierre Webo was the victim of racially charged language from the fourth official, it was an amazing show of solidarity.
For a long time now, it has seemed as though this moment would arrive — and we all probably assumed a walk-off would be provoked by racial abuse from supporters, such as when England players suffered concerted and pre-meditated abuse in Bulgaria last year.
Istanbul Basaksehir coach Pierre Webo was on the receiving end of racially-charged language from fourth official Sebastian Coltescu against PSG
Both Istanbul and PSG , including Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, responded to the incident by parading a clear message before the rearranged tieCredit: AFP or licensors
On that occasion, the Bulgarian FA were fined just £65,000 and ordered to play one match behind closed doors.
That laughable punishment is no deterrent but sadly typical of Uefa’s soft approach to racism.
Yet when Neymar — probably the third-most famous footballer on the planet — leads off his PSG team after abuse suffered by a coach on the opposition side, surely the message has to get through and Uefa must hand out a proper punishment.
The official in question, Sebastian Coltescu, is apparently going to retire from elite refereeing but Uefa should still impose a maximum ten-match ban and a substantial fine — and use that as a yardstick.
The incident was probably not the worst of its kind but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
You’ll have seen Istanbul’s Demba Ba leading the protests.
For him, I am sure it was a case of years of racial discrimination having built up to that moment.
The mood among players now is one of zero tolerance of racism. No more. Enough is enough.
Before Millwall played QPR that same night, there had been plenty of talk about the response to some Millwall fans having booed the taking of the knee at their match against Derby last Saturday.
I think the booing at Millwall and Colchester could be a blessing in disguise… I also don’t believe the majority of Millwall fans think that way.
Troy Deeney
QPR, probably the most racially diverse club in English football, had decided before the start of this season that they would no longer take the knee, with their director of football Les Ferdinand explaining that he believed the action was losing its meaning.
I respect that view but what happened at Millwall and Colchester last Saturday refocused a lot of minds.
Millwall wanted to avoid more booing so they agreed with QPR for both sets of players to link arms and hold anti-racism banners before kick-off.
QPR players played the game in that respect but when they opened the scoring, two of their players took the knee in front of the Millwall fans and showed how they truly felt.
That was heartening and it was also really encouraging to hear Watford fans applauding us take the knee before our win over Rotherham on Tuesday, as has happened elsewhere, presumably in response to what happened at Millwall.
I think the booing at Millwall and Colchester could be a blessing in disguise — and, by the way, I think they have a right to boo, just as we all have a right to vote.
I also don’t believe that the majority of Millwall fans think that way — however loud the booing, it was still a minority.
It seems as though it has sparked a lot of awkward conversations. And without those tough conversations about race — which aren’t easy for white people as well as for black people — we will not see genuine progress in the fight against racism.
For me, it is like the ‘me too’ movement, which genuinely helped women to receive greater respect in the workplace and elsewhere.
The same thing is happening now as footballers try to influence the fight against racism in our game and wider society.
So, yes, I will take the knee when we play at Millwall this month.
And if we get booed, I won’t walk off the pitch. Booing in itself is not racial abuse.
But if Watford players are racially abused at any ground, we will walk off the pitch.
And what happened in Paris on Tuesday has only strengthened that resolve.
Troy Deeney on Millwall fans booing players taking a knee More
