Euro 2020: Harry Redknapp questions whether England should keep taking the knee
Manager Gareth Southgate has backed his players’ decision to continue taking the knee through the tournament
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Harry Redknapp has questioned whether footballers should continue taking the knee before matches.
England’s players have been booed by a loud minority when making the anti-racism gesture before kick-off in recent weeks, including at Wembley ahead of the Euro 2020 opener against Croatia.
Manager Gareth Southgate has backed his players’ decision to continue taking the knee through the tournament, and although Redknapp condemned the booing as “totally wrong”, he believes the gesture may have run its course.
“I just wonder now how long we keep going for. I just don’t know now whether it’s to make a point,” Harry told GB News’ The Great British Breakfast.
“Anything that can eradicate racism out of sport I’m all for it. I hate it when people boo it, it’s not a good way to start a football match. I think it’s totally wrong to do that. I was all for it at the start but now I don’t know whether they look elsewhere to [campaign].”
Former Tottenham manager Redknapp also gave his thoughts on the collapse of Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen, who signed for Spurs in 2013 the season after Redknapp left the club.
“We’re so lucky for him that it happened at a stadium where help was at hand, that’s the scary thing. I was at Tottenham when Fabrice Muamba collapsed and luckily there was specialists in the stadium that saved his life.
“If it happened anywhere else when [Eriksen] was out at the park or with the kids, who knows what would have happened. We need to make sure we have the right equipment at hand when these things happen.”
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