Romelu Lukaku says footballers can do more to tackle racism than just taking the knee and wants social media companies to meet with players to help combat the issue of online abuse. The Chelsea striker says the gesture alone is not enough as players are continuing to receive abuse. “I think we can take stronger positions,” Lukaku told CNN.
“We are taking the knee, everybody’s clapping, but sometimes after the game you see another insult.” The 28-year-old added: “We should just sit around the table and have a big meeting about it – how we can attack it straight away, not only from the men’s game, but also from the women’s game.”
Premier League players have taken the knee before games in a protest against racism and discrimination since the competition restarted in June 2020 after a three-month suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Lukaku’s team-mate Marcos Alonso revealed earlier this week he would no longer make the gesture as he felt it was losing its impact and will instead point to the ‘no to racism’ badge on his shirt.
Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha adopted a similar stance last season.
