England call in police over racist abuse of Carter

England defender Jess Carter says she will take a step back from social media after experiencing "a lot of racial abuse" during Euro 2025.

In a statement on Sunday, the Lionesses also said they would now stop the anti-racism move of taking a knee before matches, saying it was "clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism".

The Football Association said it was "working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice".

"From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse," said the 27-year-old Carter.

"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."

England team-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy said she will also be coming off social media following the news.

Carter, who has 49 England caps since her debut in 2017, was a member of the squad that won Euro 2022.

Having started her career at Birmingham City, she won five Women's Super League titles with Chelsea before leaving for Gotham FC last summer.

The United States National Women's Soccer League side said in a statement: "We are heartbroken and outraged by the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter.

"Jess is not only a world-class football player, she is a role model, a leader and a valued part of our Gotham FC family.

"We stand with Jess, and we deeply appreciate the support for Jess from the Lionesses and England's Football Association as they compete at the UEFA Women's Championship."

European football's governing body Uefa added: "Abuse and discrimination should never be tolerated, whether in football or society, in person or online."

The Lionesses will not take the knee before Tuesday's Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy and have decided to remain standing instead.

It has not been a smooth tournament for Carter, who has started every game in defence for England, switching positions from left-back to centre-back after a difficult experience in the opening-game defeat by France.

England's defensive unit has been scrutinised for several months due to their inconsistency and Carter also endured a tough time against Sweden in the quarter-final tie, which the Lionesses won on a penalty shootout after coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

She received racial abuse on social media following that game, but it is not something new to women's football.

During the 2023 Women's World Cup, forward Lauren James suffered similar abuse when she was sent off for standing on the back of Nigerian forward Michelle Alozie in their last-16 victory.

James' club Chelsea also posted a statement condemning it when the 23-year-old was again a target of racial abuse following a WSL defeat by Arsenal in December 2023.

The Lionesses have often aligned with each other in the face of such abuse, and it was a player-led decision for Carter, the Football Association and some of her team-mates to raise the matter again on Sunday.

Carter's position in the team for Tuesday's semi-final against Italy was not assured, with Esme Morgan pushing for a start after a good performance in the win over Sweden.

However, in light of this news, manager Sarina Wiegman will have a decision to make on whether to protect Carter from further abuse, which has picked up pace in the tournament.