Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha became the first player in the English Premier League to stop taking a knee before matches as he stood prior to kick-off against West Brom on Saturday.
The controversial Ivorian had revealed last month that he had made this decision, but has been out injured until returning for the Baggies game.
In a statement released on Saturday, Zaha said: “My decision to stand at kick-off has been public knowledge for a couple of weeks now.
“There is no right or wrong decision, but for me personally I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse.“I know there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes at the Premier League and other authorities to make change and I fully respect that and everyone involved. ‘I also full respect my teammates and players at other clubs who continue to take the knee.“As a society, I feel we should be encouraging better education in schools, and social media companies should be taking stronger action against people abuse others online – not just footballers.
“I know just want to focus on football and enjoy being back playing on the pitch.
“I will continue to stand tall.”
Last month, Zaha said he would no longer wear the Black Lives Matter slogan shirt, saying ‘it feels like it’s a target’.
Since the football restart last year, players up and down the country have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by kneeling before kick-off.
This was part of a global outcry for racial equality which was sparked by the death of George Floyd in the United States earlier this year.
However, not all agree with the gesture as an adequate means of conveying this message, hence Zaha’s decision.