Jess Carter, a 27-year-old defender for the England national football team, has come forward to reveal the disturbing online abuse she experienced during the Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland. On July 21, Carter shared the deluge of racist epithets she faced across various social media channels. Her experience highlights this ongoing problem of online harassment that athletes continue to endure.
Carter’s announcements are in step with the latest research. This points to the fact that she received the highest level of negative criticism during a particularly heated period of the quarter-final match vs. Sweden, when things got pretty tense. It’s an alarming 9.8 percent of all abusive posts in the win during the penalty shoot-out were aimed at her. This incident is yet another reminder of the extreme and toxic racism that has been directed at athletes in the world of sports, especially against athletes of color.
It became even worse when police moved to arrest a 59-year-old man. He is under suspicion of malicious communications for a number of messages sent to Carter. He has since been released pending the investigation continuing. His arrest is an important step towards addressing the racial and abusive messages that have followed Carter during the entire tournament.
Carter’s experience with online abuse didn’t start in the quarter-finals, it started from the opening match of the tournament. In her own press release statement, she said she was frustrated and disappointed that any of her criticism had been targeted toward the group. She continued, saying, “Since the beginning of the tournament, I’ve been subjected to a ton of racial abuse. As a passionate and sometimes impulsive fan myself, I think every fan should reserve the right to lambaste poor performance or results. I think the low road is picking on somebody’s looks or their race.
After her courageous coming-out, Carter was met with an outpouring of support from fellow athletes, celebrities and advocates. Even the then leader of the U.K., Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, publicly congratulated her on going public. The support from her colleagues and those in authority is a testimony to the need for unity against racism in sports.
Police messages Mark Roberts, Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary, admitted that the messages aimed at Carter had got out of hand. He commended her, too, for her willingness to cooperate with the investigation. He stated, “The messages directed towards Jess Carter were appalling and I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation.” His remarks are an encouraging sign that law enforcement is beginning to understand that they need to take these incidents seriously.
Thanks to Carter’s resilience and courage, her pain is evident. While their policies have gone into effect, they have sparked critical conversations around the need for stricter regulation and accountability on social media platforms. More than that, she clings to hope. Arrest of the 59-year-old man is part of a new wider initiative to combat online abuse in sports.
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