Lioness condemns “online poison” after Jess Carter accepts racist abuse on social media
England defender Jess Carter revealed that she has been the target of online racist abuse, prompting her Lioness teammates to denounce the message as “despicable…online poison”.
Carter has been the mid-level England defensive in the European Championships in Switzerland this summer, as Sarina Wiegman’s side hopes to retain the title they won in 2022.
The 27-year-old Gotham Football Club player has started every four games in the game so far, with the team preparing for Tuesday’s semi-final against Italy.
However, Carter revealed on Sunday that she received racist messages online throughout the game, saying she would take a break on social media.
“I’ve been through a lot of racial abuse since the start of the tournament,” Carter said.
“While I feel like every fan has the right to say about performance, I disagree or think I can target someone’s appearance or race.
“So, I’m going to quit social media and leave it to the team to deal with it.
“As always, I’m grateful for all the support from real fans, but I’m taking this measure to protect myself to keep my focus and I can help the team anyway.
“Hopefully speaking out will make people who write this abuse think twice before they can do it so others don’t have to deal with it.
“We have made some historic changes to this Lioness team and I am proud to be part of it and my hope is that by speaking out about it, it will make another positive change for everyone.
“I’m looking forward to it now, focusing on putting all my energy into helping my team.”
In response, the Football Association said, “work with the police to ensure that those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.”
We stand with Jess and everyone #Lionesses Players suffering from racism past and present.
News from the team: pic.twitter.com/goashono5s
– Lioness (@Lionesses) July 20, 2025
Meanwhile, Carter’s England teammates issued a statement on X, denouncing the abuse and revealing that they would not bend their knees before playing against Italy.
“We stand with Jess and all the Lioness players who suffer from racism. No one should endure this evil abuse, whether in football or in any life,” the statement reads.
“It is the greatest honor to represent our country. While we do this, some of us are treated differently just because of the color of our skin.
“So far, we have chosen to bend our knees before the game. It’s clear that we and football need to find another solution to racism. We have agreed to be a team to stand before the kickoff on Tuesday.
“We hope the game can be brought together and see what else can be done. For the moment, we will return our overall focus to the important semifinals.
“At the same time, we know that the FA is working with British police and proper corpses. The person behind this online poison must be held accountable.”
Gotham FC also issued a statement on Sunday saying the club’s abuse of players was “heartbroken”.
“We are sad and angry at Jess Carter’s racist abuse.
“Jesse is not only a world-class footballer, but a role model, a leader and a valuable part of our Gotham Football Club family.
“We stand with Jess and we are very grateful to the Lioness and Jess of the English Football Association for their support in the UEFA Women’s Championship.”
– Gotham Football Club (@gothamfc) July 20, 2025
