Italy released a statement assuring even those who did not take the knee against Wales are not ‘ignoring the fight against racism,’ while there was also some ‘confusion.’

The gesture in favour of the Black Lives Matter movement was performed by the entire Wales squad, with Italy players Emerson Palmieri, Andrea Belotti, Rafael Toloi, Matteo Pessina and Federico Bernardeschi joining in.

Those who did not participate during the moment before kick-off were criticised by some in the Italian media, so a statement was released today.

“On behalf of the entire squad, we reaffirm that we are against all forms of racism,” said communications chief Paolo Corbi.

“We discussed it and obviously we all want to reaffirm this position. Adhering or not to a form of protest, a symbolic one at that, does not mean ignoring the fight against racism.”

There did also seem to be a bit of a misunderstanding at how brief the knee-taking moment was, with players such as Federico Chiesa taking the knee for a second towards the end.

“As for the fact that some took the knee and others did not, there was a bit of confusion. The players were all concentrated on a game that was decisive for us, as first place in the group was at stake.

“So, from what we were able to gather, we were not all prepared for that moment. In future, the team will discuss it internally and take a joint decision that will be practiced by everyone.”

The gesture of taking the knee was performed before every Italian game when first introduced last year, but it was for only one weekend.

In England, Scotland and Wales, as well as some other nations, it has continued to be a pre-kick-off ritual for every single match, both at club and international level.

Here too, it caused controversy, with some England fans jeering and even Government figure Priti Patel coming out against the symbolic protest.

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