Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has defended Bright Osayi-Samuel and his teammates after they refused to take to the knee at the start of the match against Coventry City.

Osayi-Samuel’s QPR and their Coventry City counterparts refused to take to the knee, before their Championship clash on Friday and the move led to criticisms across the world.

Ferdinand believes other teams also failed to observe the powerful message at the start of the new and the media

“This should not be about QPR,” he said in a club statement. “Many clubs did not take the knee on the opening weekend, yet this was not reported by the media.

The former England striker is adamant that taking to knee won’t end racism and inequality in the society unless something serious is done.

“Taking the knee was very powerful but we feel that impact has now been diluted. In the same way ‘Clap For Carers’ was very emotional for us all, it got to a stage where it had run its natural course and the decision was rightly made to stop it.

“Does that mean we, as a nation, don’t care or appreciate our NHS workers? Of course it doesn’t. No one is more passionate than me about this topic.

“I have spoken on the matter throughout my footballing life. I work for one of the most diverse football clubs in this country. A lot of people are being fooled out there.

“Recently, I took the decision not to do any more interviews on racism in football because the debate was going around in circles. People want a nice soundbite when something happens, but how many of the media who have criticized QPR over the past 48 hours genuinely want change?

“The taking of the knee has reached a point of ‘good PR’ but little more than that. The message has been lost. It is now not dissimilar to a fancy hashtag or a nice pin badge.

“Taking the knee will not bring about change in the game — actions will.”