Calvert-Lewin Stands Alone as Leeds and United Share the Spoils
There was another talking point before a ball was even kicked at Elland Road, and it came not from the football but from the familiar pre-match anti-racism gesture. Dominic Calvert-Lewin stood while the rest of Leeds United and Manchester United’s players took the knee before their 1-1 draw, continuing a stance he has now taken for a second year running.
The Premier League has brought back its ‘No Room For Racism’ message for two weekends in October, tying in with Black History Month and keeping the spotlight on football’s responsibility to stand against discrimination. The gesture was introduced during the COVID-19 era in 2020, when the game was trying to send a clear message during the Project Restart period following the murder of George Floyd.
Calvert-Lewin’s decision will inevitably draw comment, but Daniel Farke was keen to cool things down afterwards. The Leeds boss explained that the striker believes he is paying his respects in his own way by remaining on his feet, rather than dropping to one knee. In short, it’s a personal choice rather than a snub, and that distinction matters.
Farke backs individual expression
Farke also made a broader point that football, for all its tribal chaos, can still set an example. He spoke about dressing rooms bringing together players of different nationalities, languages and religions, all working towards the same aim. That, frankly, is the sort of message the Premier League is hoping lands beyond the touchline.
There was also chatter over alleged boos around the stadium when the players knelt, but the German coach made it plain he supports the campaign’s overall purpose. And he’s right on that front: whatever your view on the gesture itself, the wider aim is to push a simple idea — that football should be a place where everybody belongs.
Calvert-Lewin was not the only one to stand rather than kneel over the weekend. Everton’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles did the same before facing Chelsea, while Marc Guehi and Issa Diop also remained upright ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Ipswich Town. Bournemouth pair Rayan and Tyler Adams followed suit on Sunday.
The key point, and it’s worth underlining, is that these players are not being accused of disrespect. The Premier League does not punish those who choose not to take the knee, and in each case the decision appears to be rooted in personal belief rather than hostility to the cause. In football, as in life, people will show respect differently — though, as ever, the debate around this gesture is likely to rumble on.
On the pitch, though, the talking should really have been about the football. Bryan Mbeumo put Manchester United ahead, only for Calvert-Lewin to help Leeds salvage a point in a lively draw. And perhaps that is the most fitting reminder of all: gestures matter, but so does what happens when the whistle goes.
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