England defender Jess Carter has revealed she has been the target of racist abuse online, prompting her Lioness teammates to condemn the messages as “vile … online poison”.
Carter has been a mainstay of England’s defence during this summer’s European Championship in Switzerland as Sarina Wiegman’s side look to retain the title they won in 2022.
The 27-year-old Gotham FC player has started each of the Lionesses four games at the tournament so far, with the team preparing for a semi-final showdown against Italy on Tuesday.
However, on Sunday Carter revealed she has received racist messages online throughout the competition and she said she would be taking a break from social media as a result.
“From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse,” said Carter.
“While 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.
“As a result of this I will be taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with.
“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.”
In response, the Football Association said it was “working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice”.
We stand with Jess, and all #Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.
A message from the squad: pic.twitter.com/goaSHono5s
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 20, 2025
Meanwhile, Carter’s England teammates released a statement on X in which they condemned the abuse and revealed they would not be taking the knee before the game with Italy.
The statement read: “We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism. No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life.
“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.
“We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done. For now, we will return our total focus to an important semi-final.
“In the meantime, we know the FA are working with UK police and the appropriate bodies. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.”
Gotham FC also released a statement on Sunday, saying the club was “heartbroken” by the abuse directed at their player.
“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.
“We stand with Jess, and we deeply appreciate the support for Jess from the Lionesses and England’s Football Association as they compete at the UEFA Women’s Championship.”
— Gotham FC (@GothamFC) July 20, 2025
