Wilfried Zaha issues statement after refusing to take knee before match

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha stands as West Bromwich Albion's Matt Phillips kneels in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign before the match [Pool via REUTERS/Mike Hewitt]

Wilfried Zaha has issued a statement after he failed to take the knee prior to Crystal Palace vs West Brom.

Zaha had expressed his intention not to participate in the pre-match ritual when he returned from injury, instead pledging to 'stand tall'.

And he was as good as his word, releasing further clarification via his management company Rocnation immediately after kick-off at Selhurst Park.

He said: "My decision to stand at kick-off has been public knowledge for a couple of weeks now.

Zaha in action with West Bromwich Albion's Matt Phillips [Pool via REUTERS/Ian Walton]

"There is no right or wrong decision, but for me personally I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse.

"I know there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes at the Premier League and other authorities to make change, and I fully respect that, and everyone involved.

"As a society, I feel we should be encouraging better education in schools, and social media companies should be taking stronger action against people who abuse others online - not just footballers.

"I will continue to stand tall."