England's Jess Carter targeted by racist abuse

ENGLAND defender Jess Carter has revealed she has been the target of “a lot of racial abuse” during Euro 2025.

- By RACHEL STEINBERG Press Association reporter

The 27-year-old, who has started all of the defending champions’ matches so far in Switzerland, said she will take a step back from social media to focus on the rest of the tournament.

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said his organisation “immediately contacted UK police” as soon as it was made aware of the abuse and vowed to ensure “those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice”.

The England team said instead of taking a knee they would remain standing before Tuesday's semifinal against Italy, adding: “It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.”

Writing on her social media accounts, Carter said in a statement: “From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. 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.

“As a result of this I will be taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with.