England's players decided to stop taking the knee before matches, opting instead for a stand of solidarity for teammate Jess Carter, who has faced online racist abuse. The decision follows Carter's experiences during Euro 2025, prompting discussions about the effectiveness of continuing the gesture. England manager Sarina Wiegman emphasized that taking the knee is insufficient against racism and called for different actions. The Lionesses previously took the knee during Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women's World Cup, but now seek a stronger response to racism.
Sections of the crowd at Stade de Geneve sung Carter's song and applauded in the 16th minute in support of the defender, whose squad number is 16.
Taking the knee, that's not enough. We have done that for a while. The impact is not good enough, it's not as big as we think.
When there is this form of racism we felt we have to do something else, something different, so that's why we are not taking the knee.
The Lionesses adopted the anti-racism gesture - popularised by American football player Colin Kaepernick in 2016 - during Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women's World Cup.
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