England defender Jess Carter showed tremendous courage in speaking out against racist abuse she endured during Euro 2025. Her heroic position has earned great favor from her squad. The abuse poured in after the team’s historic quarterfinal match against France. It intensified after the semifinal game against Sweden, where studies found that Carter was the most harassed player on social media.
Carter was able to rise above all of the hate that she inspired. She had a huge influence on England’s impressive semi-final win against Italy, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd after coming on as a sub from the bench. As she came on to the pitch, the England fans broke into a massive ovation. This powerful show of solidarity underscored the fervent support she’s been getting from her admirers.
Having been a target of sustained online abuse, Carter decided to take a break from social media. In a heartfelt response, she shared some of the racist messages she received, highlighting the need for awareness and action against such behavior. Her team-mates all offered strong support to her in this dark time. Their support boosted her choice to come forward.
Russo, also a member of the Lionesses, decried the “vile” abuse aimed at Carter. No player should be subjected to this kind of mass abusive shaming treatment, she stressed. Russo stated, “Jess should never have gone through what she has the past few days, but we stick with her and back our players 100 per cent.”
Carter’s experience is not an isolated incident, but representative of a larger problem in sports with racism and online hate speech. Lionesses players, like defender Lucy Bronze, have publicly supported Carter on this issue. Bronze expressed gratitude for the fans who stood by Carter, stating, “The fans today were unbelievable, and their support was incredible. I can’t thank them all enough for being on my side.”
“In addressing the ongoing problem of racism in football, Bronze added, ‘If by speaking up it makes one silly person keep their mouth shut with certain comments, that’s a big enough reason for me.’”
Carter is pretty clearly still walking through the political fallout of these events. She is as deeply determined as ever to continue championing the call against racism. Her courage in standing up to the abuse is most remarkable of all. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of solidarity among athletes in confronting discrimination.
Leave a Reply