Scotland have decided against taking the knee during Euro 2020 but will continue to stand up to racism. Steve Clarke’s squad switched from kneeling before kick-off to standing before their World Cup qualifiers in March, with the manager claiming the impact of the former gesture had become “maybe a little bit diluted”.
The transition reflected a wider trend among Scottish Premiership clubs, who had replaced taking the knee with standing, but contrasts with an England squad determined to keep kneeling.
Clarke’s captain, Andy Robertson, stressed that Scotland’s commitment to helping eradicate discrimination was in no way diminished. “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,” said the Liverpool left-back.
“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.”
Scotland’s first opponents, the Czech Republic, will be without Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela on Monday at Hampden Park in the wake of a 10-match Uefa ban. He was found to have made racist comments to the Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in Glasgow in March.