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Marco Alonso claims taking a knee is 'losing a bit of strength' as an effective anti-racism message and Chelsea star prefers pointing to No Room For Racism badge to show 'full support'

Marcos Alonso believes the anti-racism act of taking a knee is in danger of losing its impact and the Chelsea defender broke his silence on refusing to complete the pre-match ritual.

Ahead of the season, players agreed to continue making the protest — started during Project Restart — in the continued fight against racism. But Alonso is among only a handful of players who have stopped taking the knee before kick-off, joining Wilfried Zaha and Ivan Toney in standing.

Zaha called the act ‘degrading’ earlier this year and Toney said players were being ‘used as puppets’ when asked to take a knee.