Lionesses turn on taking the knee: Nigel Farage delights in end of 'crazy gesture' as players admit it has 'lost power' in racist abuse-hit build-up to their Euro semi-final

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has rejoiced at the Lionesses' decision to abandon taking the knee - labelling it a 'crazy gesture'.

The Lionesses confirmed on Sunday that they will no longer perform the act, which has been used since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 to support football's ongoing fight against racism, after England star Jess Carter announced she has been the subject of racist abuse and would be stepping away from social media as a result.

Sarina Wiegman's side narrowly edged through their quarter-final against Sweden last Thursday, coming from two goals down to force extra time and win after a chaotic penalty shootout.

While spirits should be high ahead of Tuesday's semi-final against Italy, the feeling in the England camp has been blighted by abhorrent racist abuse directed towards Carter, who played 70 minutes of the match against Sweden.

In a statement on Sunday, the Lionesses said: 'We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism. No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life.

'Representing our country is the greatest honour. It is not right that while we are doing that some of us are treated differently simply because of the colour of our skin. 

'Until now we have chosen to take the knee before matches. It's clear we and football need to find another wat to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday.

'We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done. For now, we will return our total focus to an important semi-final. 

'In the meantime, we know the FA are working with UK police and the appropriate bodies. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.' 

Speaking after the announcement, Farage said: 'Thank goodness the crazy gesture is over'.

A major criticism of the gesture since its initiation is that it has simply become a tokenistic exercise, designed to show that football cares about the issue without committing to change on a deeper level.

Suggesting that this is now the view of Wiegman's camp, Lionesses veteran Lucy Bronze told the Telegraph: 'Is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard?' 

Alex Greenwood, in answer to those questions, admitted: 'There’s maybe a feeling that it has lost its power'. 

The Lionesses are by no means the first to refuse taking the knee. In 2021, former Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha announced that he would not be performing the gesture before games - claiming it was 'degrading' and had become routine.

'I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now,” he said in a statement. 'That’s not enough. I’m not going to take the knee.'

In the wake of the Lionesses' announcement, FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered his support to Carter, while FA chief Mark Bullingham, UEFA, the National Women's Soccer League and her football club Gotham FC also released statements condemning the abuse.

'We stand with Jess. We stand with every player and every individual who has suffered from racist abuse. No player should be discriminated against in any way, they should be free to be at their very best on the pitch,' Infantino said.

'In this instance, we will be offering our support with any further action required, as well as sharing data for appropriate action to be taken against any perpetrators.'