Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has praised England's decision to take the knee before their upcoming World Cup opener against Iran on Monday.
Southgate confirmed that the Three Lions players will take a knee before the game against Iran as a show of unity, with the squad having agreed on the decision following a group discussion.
England's players took a knee at this summer's Women's European Championship, and the men's side were allowed to decide if they wanted to press ahead with the pre-match gesture at the World Cup in Qatar.
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Ex-United man Ferdinand took to social media to praise the Three Lions' players after it was confirmed that they would take a knee before the match on Monday. He wrote on Twitter: "Important message… v good!!!"
England boss Southgate claimed that it was a 'strong statement' and suggested that it is something that the Three Lions stand for as a team.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the clash against Iran, he said: "We have discussed taking a knee. We feel we should. It's what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time. We understand in the Premier League that the clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions.
"We feel this is the biggest and we think it's a strong statement that will go around the world for young people, in particular, to see that inclusivity is very important."
Premier League players have stopped taking the knee before every game this season, with the captains of the league's 20 clubs instead agreeing to take the knee at certain points in the season in order "to amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society".
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