SUPPORT has poured in for England football star Jess Carter after she became the target of online racists.
The defender, who grew up in Barford, announced she would step back from social media after receiving “a lot of racist abuse” since the start of the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros currently taking place in Switzerland.
The 27 year-old has played in all five matches in the tournament for the Lionesses and is now preparing for the final on Sunday.
Jess, in a statement on social media, said: “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.
“Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so 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.”
England manager Sarina Wiegman called the abuse Jess had suffered “disgusting”, while her teammate Georgia Stanway said the collective response to the abuse had “brought us together as a team”.
Following the abuse, the Lionesses decided against taking the knee before their semi-final victory against Italy on Tuesday as they felt the anti-racism message was no longer as strong as it had been. The team had previously performed the symbolic gesture before games since 2020.
The Football Association is working with authorities to track down those responsible for the abusive posts.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “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.
“Regrettably, this is not the first time this has happened to an England player. We will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done to prevent this abhorrent abuse.”
Jess played for Warwick Juniors as a child before she signed with Birmingham City’s Centre of Excellence at the age of 16. She joined Chelsea in 2018, and last year signed for New York-based Gotham FC.
Jess made her international debut for England in 2019. She was a member of the squad which won the Euros in 2022, and was a regular starter in the team which reached the World Cup Final the following year.
