England football chiefs have alerted police after defender Jess Carter revealed she has been the target of “a lot of racial abuse” during the Women’s Euros in Switzerland.
The 27-year-old, who has started all of the defending champions’ matches so far, said she would take a step back from social media to focus on 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 to highlight racism, they would remain standing before Tuesday’s semi-final against Italy, adding: “It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.”
Writing on her social media accounts, Carter, who has 49 England caps, said: “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.”
England forward Lauren James suffered online racist abuse after a defeat for her club side Chelsea in 2023.
England men’s players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho were targeted after the team’s Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy.
England boss Sarina Wiegman said: “I stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.”
European football’s governing body UEFA expressed its support for Carter while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that “there is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society”.
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© Agence France-Presse
