England have decided to not take the knee in their UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 semifinal match against Italy on Tuesday in support of their defender Jess Carter, who has faced racist abuse online. In what is almost a repetition of what happened after England’s loss to Italy in the final of the men’s tournament in 2021, Carter released a statement in which she stated that she hopes people sending her the abuse will think twice before doing the same to someone else.
“Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don’t agree or think it’s ok to target someone’s appearance or race,” Carter, who has been playing for England since 2017, said in her statement. “As ever I am grateful for all of the support from the genuine fans but I am taking this measure to protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can.Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won’t have to deal with it. We have made some historic changes with this Lionesses squad that I am so proud to be a part of and my hope is that by speaking out about this it will make another positive change for all. I’m now looking forward and focusing on putting all of my energy into helping my team.”
Carter, a full-back with the England Lioness team, has played in all four matches that they have played in the 2025 Euros. The 27-year-old along with the other full-back Lucy Bronze had a tough time against French strikers Delphine Cascarino and Sandy Baltimore during the 1-2 loss against France during England’s opening match in the tournament. Carter, who has so far played in 49 matches for England and was also part of the runner-up England team in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, had posted her statement on her social media followed by the Football Association also approaching police.
“Our priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs. We strongly condemn those responsible for this disgusting racism. As soon as we were made aware of the racist abuse Jess received, we immediately contacted UK police. They are in touch with the relevant social media platform, and we are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.” Mark Bellingham, CEO, Football Association (FA), stated in his statement.
With Carter talking about the racial abuse, the England Lionesses team too came with a joint statement in which they said they won’t be taking the knee in the semi-final against Italy. The team had taken a knee at the Euros as a gesture to protest racism and police brutality towards Black people, during all the four games in the tournament.
“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 is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.” the England Lioness team stated in a joint statement.
The incident has also sparked reaction from UK PM Sir Keir Starmer. “There is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society. I stand with Jess, the Lionesses, and any players who have suffered racism, on and off the pitch.” Starmer said in a statement.
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In the past, three England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Sako were targeted on social media after England’s defeat in the penalty-shoot in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. At that time, UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU),had carried out an investigation and UK Police had arrested 11 fans over the online abuse incidents. Carter’s team-mate Lucy Bronze had questioned the measures taken to tackle online abuse against players. “We feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be?. Is the message really hitting hard? Because it feels like it’s not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives. More needs to be done in football and society, what that is right now as an individual, I don’t exactly know,” Bronze had said in a press conference last week.
Carter, who plays for Gotham FC in the USA, had earlier played for Chelsea FC. The US club also had supported Carter.
“We are heartbroken and outraged by the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter. Jess is not only a world-class football player — she is a role model, a leader and a valued part of our Gotham FC family. At Gotham, we believe in a culture of mutual respect and remain committed to building a game — and a community — where everyone feels safe, respected and celebrated. There is no place for racism in our sport.”” Gotham FC stated in a statement.
Apart from UEFA, which has condemned the incident, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also condemned the incident. “No player should be discriminated against in any way. They should be free to be at their very best on the pitch.” Infantino stated.
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Carter has also found support from NWSPL Player Association in the USA. “The NWSL Players Association unequivocally denounces the racist abuse targeting Jess Carter. We will not allow abuse of any kind to be normalised, minimised, or ignored.” NWSPL Player Association stated.
