Jess Carter has revealed the weight of racist abuse she endured during Euro 2025 caused her to speak out and seek the support of her England team-mates.
Carter revealed prior to England’s semi-final win over Italy that she had stepped back from social media, having been subjected to racist slurs since the tournament began.
Analysis of social media posts made during the game with Sweden confirmed Carter was the England player targeted with the most negativity.
Carter came on as a late substitute in the semi-final win against Italy and was given a huge ovation by the England fans.
She told Sky Sports News: “It’s been pretty tough. Ever since the France game it started, and it was pretty tough.
“A lot of stuff doesn’t really bother me, so [it took a lot] for me to feel like I needed to speak up and for people to know about it. I felt like I needed a bit of support and a bit of extra TLC from my team, that I don’t usually need.
“I’m not saying it’s going to make a big difference or make a change, but hopefully make people aware that it’s not OK.
“Racism is still going on, and we’re just here to do our job to the best of our ability and hopefully bring success back to England. That’s what we all try and do every time we put the badge on.
“I understand everyone has got their own opinions on how we play – trust me, no one is more disappointed in some of my performances than I am – but the colour of my skin has nothing to do with that.
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Sarina Wiegman and Georgia Stanway show their support for Jess Carter following the England defender’s admission that she has received racist abuse on social media
“The fans today were unbelievable, and their support was incredible. I can’t thank them all enough for being on my side.
“It was my team that encouraged me to put it out [the statement]. I was like, ‘I’ll just let it go and see afterwards’, but we do what we do to represent ourselves and our country.
“I’ve got mixed-race nieces and nephews, I want them to grow up to be strong and brave and powerful and believe they can do whatever they want to do.
“If by speaking up it makes one silly person keep their mouth shut with certain comments, that’s a big enough reason for me.”
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England defender Lucy Bronze passionately supported her team-mate Jess Carter who spoke out about receiving racist abuse during the 2025 Euros
Alongside a statement released on Carter’s Instagram, a separate post from her Lionesses team-mates said it was “not right that some of us are treated differently because of the colour of our skin.”
The Lionesses did not take the knee before the semi-final with Italy.
The FA, meanwhile, contacted the UK police when they were informed of the abuse Carter has been subjected to, and CEO Mark Bullingham confirmed the social media platform used had also been alerted.
Alessia Russo added to Sky Sports News: “Jess should never have gone through what she has the past few days, but we stick with her and back our players 100 per cent.
“Jess is a top person, someone who is a massive part of this team, and we all love her so much. She’s shown massive strength, and the team is always with her.”
