by Oliver Todd, Ollie Lewis and Luke Power, Daily Mail
More Premier League players have rejected taking the knee before kick-off – with fans booing the anti-racism gesture as doubts over its impact continue to grow.
Bournemouth stars Rayan and Tyler Adams both refused to kneel alongside their team-mates before their game against Sunderland got under way.
Meanwhile, fans in the stands loudly booed the gesture as Leeds prepared to face Manchester United at Elland Road.
It comes after three players snubbed the token act on Saturday in a shaky start to the Premier League’s ‘No Room For Racism’ month.
Everton star Ainsley Maitland-Niles refused to kneel as his side hosted Chelsea in Saturday’s early kick-off – despite other players doing so.
England defender Marc Guehi and Issa Diop did the same just before the game between Manchester City and Ipswich at the Etihad Stadium.
The players’ reasons for not kneeling are not yet known. However, a number of footballers have expressed concern that the gesture has lost its value.
In 2021, former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha questioned the impact of taking the knee while ex-Brentford striker Ivan Toney said: ‘We are being used as puppets.’
Zaha added: ‘I feel like taking the knee is degrading, because growing up my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be Black no matter what and I feel like we should just stand tall.’
It is not the first time players have refused to take the knee. Last year Dominic Calvert-Lewin did so in Burnley‘s fixture with Leeds, while Crysencio Summerville has been known to take the same action.