England to stop taking the knee over racist abuse

Telegraph

20-07-2025

The Lionesses will not take the knee before their Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy on Tuesday after the squad condemned the abhorrent racist abuse suffered by Jess Carter.
The defender shared on Instagram that she had been targeted by racist comments online since the start of the tournament.
England's players have taken the knee before each of their four games so far but have decided they will remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday, with the squad stating they and football need to find another way to tackle racism.
The players' statement read: 'We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.
'No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life. Representing our country is the greatest honour. It is not right that while we are doing that some of us are treated differently simply because of the colour of our skin.
'Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches. It is clear and football need to find another way to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday.
'It is 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.
'We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done.
'For now, we will return our total focus to an important semi-final. In the meantime, we know the FA are working with UK police and the appropriate bodies. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.'
Carter has started all four of England's matches at the Euros. She endured a difficult night in the opening game with France and in the quarter-final against Sweden but put in excellent displays against Netherlands and Wales.
The defender, who plays her club football for American side Gotham FC, penned an emotional statement on social media, detailing the abuse she had received.
Her post read: 'A message to the fans…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.
'As ever I am grateful for all of the support from the genuine fans but I am taking this measure to protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can. Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won't have to deal with it. We have made some historic changes with this Lionesses squad that I am so proud to be a part of and my hope is that by speaking out about this it will make another positive change for all. I'm now looking forward and focusing on putting all of my energy into helping my team. Jess Carter.'
The statement was shared by England manager Sarina Wiegman while the Football Association's chief executive Mark Bullingham also condemned the abuse.
'Our priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs,' Bullingham said.
'We strongly condemn those responsible for this disgusting racism.
'As soon as we were made aware of the racist abuse Jess received, we immediately contacted UK police. They are in touch with the relevant social media platform, and we are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.
'Regrettably, this is not the first time this has happened to an England player, so we had measures in place to allow us to respond quickly and where possible provide information to support any potential police action.
'We will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done to prevent this abhorrent abuse.'