Gianni Infantino ‘deeply saddened' by racist abuse directed at Jess Carter
Defender Carter said she will be 'taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with' after revealing she has been the target of 'a lot of racial abuse' during the tournament in Switzerland.
FIFA president Infantino wrote on Instagram: 'I am deeply saddened to see the online abuse directed at England's Jess Carter during the ongoing Women's EURO tournament. There is no place for racism in football or in society.
'We stand with Jess. We stand with every player and every individual who has suffered from racist abuse.
'No player should be discriminated against in any way, they should be free to be at their very best on the pitch.
'Through FIFA's Social Media Protection Service, we have helped tackle such abuse across multiple tournaments. We will continue to collaborate and support confederations, FIFA Member Associations and their players.
'In this instance, we will be offering our support with any further action required, as well as sharing data for appropriate action to be taken against any perpetrators.'
Football Association chief Mark Bullingham has confirmed his organisation has already referred the 'abhorrent' abuse to UK police, who are 'in touch with the relevant social media platform'.
Bullingham said the FA 'will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done.'
Lucy Bronze said she was 'sad' for her England team-mate Carter ahead of the Lionesses semi-final against Italy in Geneva on Tuesday, and warned social media companies that football players can 'thrive' without their services.
'I think no player needs social media,' said Bronze. 'I think that's one thing that we can always remember, is that we play football because we love the sport.
'Someone like Jess, she's had an amazing tournament. I think she was one of our best players in the Netherlands game, for example, and she should be able to see messages and the fans and the support and live in that moment, because it's something you should be able to celebrate.'
The Lionesses have collectively agreed they will not be 'taking the knee' ahead of kick-off in Geneva, a symbolic anti-racism gesture that since 2016, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the Star Spangled Banner in protest, has become widespread practice across sport.
'Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches,' read a team statement.
'It's clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.
'We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Agent 'no idea' Hampton in conference when he rang
The mystery caller who rang the England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton during a press conference says he had "no idea" she was being interviewed and "never expected her to answer". Paul Crockford, who is Hampton's agent, decided to FaceTime her shortly after she saved two crucial penalties against Sweden and secured England a place in the Euro 2025 semi-finals last Thursday. Mr Crockford, who has managed the Birmingham-born goalkeeper for seven years, said he was keen to congratulate her and just wanted to tell her how proud he was. "We had all been watching in London, and as you can tell, we were a bit excited. When she showed us we were on her screen, we were like, 'Blooming heck'," he said. Mr Crockford described Hampton as "an incredibly determined person" and said she was "a joy to work with". The 24-year-old, who was brought up in Studley, Warwickshire, and later went to school at Erasmus Darwin Academy in Burntwood, Staffordshire, made her debut for England in 2022. Mr Crockford said she had been "fighting" for the number one spot as a goalkeeper since then, but her performance in the quarter-finals against Sweden had changed things. "What the other night did was seal and cement her position as a number one keeper for England," he added. "It's been a very long journey for us... we first met her nearly eight years ago, and we've seen her ups and downs and just been with her every step of the way," Crockford said, who previously managed musicians, including Dire Straits and Tears for Fears. "She's fantastic to work with and an inspiration to other players and fans - she's been a dream." The Chelsea goalkeeper's agent described their journey together as "incredible" and said he was "unbelievably proud". England will face Italy on Tuesday at 20:00 BST for a place in the Euro 2025 final. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story 'We knew Hannah would be England's Number One' 'Don't ever write us off!' - Hampton on England win Related internet links UEFA Women's Euros
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Manchester City enquire about Barcelona star amid contract negotiations
Barcelona have thus far done a decent job of retaining most of their stars since the global pandemic, despite a significant financial crisis that has hampered their plans for the past five years. The only major departures that the club were not open to, albeit hugely important, were Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele. Manchester City are seeking to change that. Director of Football Deco has placed a special emphasis on retaining the club's major stars before seeking to bring in major signings, as evidenced by a flurry of contract renewals for the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal amongst others. The next to follow would in theory be Jules Kounde, who is out of contract in the summer of 2027. Manchester City interest in Jules Kounde Jules Kounde got the goal but not the penalty. City are interested in the French defender though, who excelled in central defence at Sevilla and over the last three seasons has performed well at right-back for the Blaugrana. French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reports that Manchester City are one of the two top clubs that have made enquiries about his compatriot. Barcelona have been trying to negotiate a new deal with Kounde for several weeks, after the first reports of negotiations emerged in February this year, and Hawkins explains that both Kounde and Barcelona are hopeful of a deal, with the latter considering him the best in the world at his position. Kounde's other suitor (in the Premier League?) Barcelona will want to wrap up a new deal before next summer, when they might be forced to slash his asking price. There have been a number of links to both Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League over recent months, with the former reportedly in regular contact with his agent. The Blues also tried to sign Kounde when he left Sevilla in 2021. It would be no surprise if his representation was in contact with Premier League sides to test the market and see what kind of salary Kounde could be offered elsewhere.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pubgoers near Clifton Suspension Bridge 'traumatised' after mistakenly offering to help killer who had victims' remains in suitcases
Members of the public have been left "traumatised" after mistakenly offering to help drive a double murderer over a bridge where he planned to dump the victims' bodies, police have revealed. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of murders. Yostin Andres Mosquera was convicted on Monday of the , who were killed in west London on 8 July 2024. After decapitating their bodies, the heads were stored in a freezer, while the other remains were put in suitcases. On 10 July, Mosquera hired a van with a driver to transport him and the bags to Clifton Suspension Bridge. Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride, from the Metropolitan Police, said people who had been watching a football match in a nearby pub, came outside and tried to help Mosquera, by offering to drive him over the bridge as they saw he was struggling with the heavy suitcases. "He told them he wanted to go to the other side of the bridge, which was only 150 yards from where he stood, but he couldn't see it," Detective Inspector Neil Meade, from Avon and Somerset Police, said. "They tried loading the suitcases into the back of their car and one of them commented: 'God, these are heavy, is there a body in there?'" DCI Stride said they "simply couldn't lift them into the cars so... they helped him order the taxi, that took him over using Google Translate because they couldn't communicate with him, [as] he spoke in Spanish". He added: "They've been really traumatised by the whole thing, obviously now understanding what had happened afterwards." The prosecution argued Mosquera went to Bristol with the intention of throwing the bags off the bridge. But Mosquera caught the attention of passers-by, telling them the cases contained car parts. However, people noticed liquid leaking from the bags - which was blood. A cyclist challenged Mosquera about the suitcases and chased after the double killer as he fled down a hill - filming him on his phone. Det Insp Meade praised the cyclist and said the image he took of Mosquera was "critical" for the investigation. "It gave us a lead to start with," he said. "It was an unbelievable piece of work by that member of the public. It was incredibly brave for the cyclist to intervene and have the presence of mind to get that footage on his phone." Police officers then attended the bridge and had to open the suitcases, which contained the torsos and limbs of Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth. Det Insp Meade said: "When you sign up to join the police, you expect to see stuff that people in general society wouldn't see. "But nobody can prepare anybody, cop or not a cop, to see what those officers saw that night. "I've been doing this job for 29 years and I've never had to open a suitcase, not knowing what's in it, and there being a body in there." Mosquera had already run off and was later arrested at Bristol Temple Meads station on 13 July 2024 and charged with both murders.
