EXCLUSIVE: Wales will let Rob Page and his players decide on taking the knee before games at the World Cup with England also considering the gesture… as nations prepare their stance against discrimination in Qatar
- Wales chiefs are not understood to have given explicit advice on taking the knee
- Sportsmail understands the decision will be left to Rob Page and his Welsh squad
- They made the gesture against Belgium in September but not against Poland
- There is support within the FA for England to take the knee at the tournament
- The Three Lions have made continued the gesture since September 2020
- But Gareth Southgate’s side stopped in their Nations League games last month
Wales chiefs will allow coach Rob Page and his players to decide whether to take the knee at the World Cup.
Page has led Wales to the Finals for only the second time in their history and they will begin their campaign against USA on November 21.
In their most recent Nations League fixtures, Wales took the knee against Belgium in Brussels on September 22 but did not do so against Poland in Cardiff three days later.
At this stage, Sportsmail understands there is no explicit guidance from the Welsh FA to the team about how to approach the situation in Qatar.
Wales face England in their second fixture at the tournament, and it is understood that taking the knee at the World Cup remains a consideration for England players.
Indeed, there is major support from within the Football Association and the England camp that the team should do so.
The decision to take the knee at the World Cup will be left for Rob Page and his side to make
Gareth Southgate’s team have made the symbolic gesture ever since their game against Iceland in September 2020 but stopped last month for the Nations League games against Italy and Germany.
It was decided by senior players that they should follow the Premier League guidance on those occasions.
At the start of the season, Premier League captains decided to reduce the number of times they took the knee. Rather than doing so before every game, they agreed to make the move on seven occasions across the campaign.
There is major support from the Football Association that England should take the knee
Wales captain Gareth Bale was asked in September 2021 whether the team would be prepared to walk off the pitch if they suffered racist abuse during a match.
He said: ‘If things don’t get sorted, that will happen. If anything happens to any of our players and they wanted to walk off the pitch, I’d be fully for it.
‘Football is important but these matters come way above football. If we felt we weren’t getting protection and being treated the right way by the governing bodies and the only way to get the best response was to walk off, I’d be fully for it.’
Gareth Bale and Wales took the knee ahead of their clash with Belgium but not Poland
Bale’s view was echoed by Page later that year, prior to a game against the Czech Republic in Prague. ‘We will take the knee because that’s what we think is the right message to continue to show,’ he said.
‘If action needs to be taken we absolutely will do that as a group. We won’t stand for it and there will be zero tolerance for any racial abuse. We know what’s acceptable and what isn’t.’
