Latest news with #Jess Carter
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Leah Williamson's defining moment seals her place in England history
Amid the chaos, there was another moment of calm. Leah Williamson had just made history as England captain but first she paused. While her teammates chased after Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton and as Michelle Agyemang and Jess Carter dropped to their knees on the pitch, Williamson turned to her beaten Spanish opponents and began to shake each of them by the hand. No England captain had been here before, with Williamson becoming the first player in the country's history to skipper a team to two tournament victories, as well as the first to lead a side to a title on foreign soil. And while there were many heroes on yet another improbable night, to complete a 'chaotic and ridiculous' tournament in the words of Sarina Wiegman, it was the clear-mindedness of Williamson that repeatedly shone through. To face this Spain team as a center-back across 120 minutes is to essentially be required to perform two jobs at once: first, to constantly evaluate the danger and protect the box by any means possible, and second, to show the bravery and sense to choose the moments where you play, to try and stop Spain from suffocating you by embracing the risks head on. Alongside the equally courageous Jess Carter, England's centre backs were largely faultless. In some ways it was the perfect game for Williamson to have in front of her, an opportunity to display the two defining aspects of her leadership. It helped that she faced a remarkably similar situation in Arsenal's Champions League final win over Barcelona two months ago, a game where they lived on the edge throughout but grew confidence from their defiance. 'I did get a feeling from the Champions League final,' Williamson said 'I thought this is our day today.' Against Spain there were the blocks and the clearances, reading the game superbly to always be in the right place. There can be an accumulation of hundreds of split-second decisions involved when an opponent like Spain moves at pace, and Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey rotate to pull a system out of shape. It can be easy to fall into a rudimentary sense of what defending is when required to repeatedly put your body on the line. Williamson did that, but she also played with a clarity to know to jump forward and press, or when to drop in and delay. Each gamble was an intelligent one. There was a moment midway through the second half and after Alessia Russo had equalised in the final where Williamson forcefully stepped up to intercept a pass into midfield, and then kept on going. She continued the run and slid as she squared the ball across the box, a delivery begging for a touch that didn't arrive. But it summed up how England found themselves and finally arrived at something resembling their potential after clawing a path through the tournament. Before the final, Williamson had spoken of how England could not afford to be 'fearful of losing' and that is basically what the Lionesses did after going 1-0 down, led by their captain every time she stepped out of the backline. It was embodied by the brilliance of Carter, back in the team after revealing the racist abuse she had received throughout the Euros but playing the final with a grin on her face after reaching extra time. 'She's a no-nonsense defender,' Williamson said. 'I've called her that before and she just gets sh-- done.' Carter was safe on the ball but secure. Williamson had to play, but only at the right times. She repeatedly found the moments to slow it down and trust Keira Walsh would be in position. Hannah Hampton produced the heroics in the shootout - and perhaps let's not talk about Williamson's own miss - but England's captain had a claim to be the player of the match before the penalties. Afterwards, standing on the pitch at St Jakob Park, Williamson said she felt a pressure to say 'something monumental', in part because of how effortlessly she stepped up to deliver the message and articulate the legacy of what England wanted Euro 2022 to be. It was a role Williamson performed so well that the image of her as a spokesperson for the Lionesses lasted much longer than her impact on the tournament as a player. Missing the 2023 World Cup through injury only prolonged that. But Williamson has left something monumental. In a tournament that has been won by England's grit, the captain of the European champions at both club and country also showed another way. All that remains now is a defining performance to stand alongside her place in history.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Social media companies not doing enough to protect England players from racism, says FA chief
Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Social media companies are still not doing enough to prevent England players from suffering racist abuse online, according to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. Lionesses defender Jess Carter revealed before England's semi-final against Italy that she had received 'vile' and "abhorrent" racist abuse during Euro 2025. It came four years after Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were sent racist abuse after missing penalties in England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy. open image in gallery Jess Carter was sent abuse on social media during Euro 2025 ( Getty ) Bullingham said the FA thought 'things would improve' following the Euro 2020 final, after conversations with social media platforms, but believes there has not been enough progress. The FA are working with the UK police following the abuse received by Carter and Bullingham said they want government regulator Ofcom to use the powers it now has under the Online Safety Act 2023 to 'hold social media companies to account' following the abuse. Under the Online Safety Act, social media platforms have a duty to protect users from harmful content such as racism and Ofcom are responsible for enforcing the legislation if there are breaches. 'We did think things would improve [after 2021] and we lobbied very hard together with Kick It Out and other representatives in football to make sure the online harms act came through,' Bullingham said. 'I think we would have liked it to have been stronger in some cases – if you look at the specific areas like 'legal but harmful'. There's a real risk that if we're not firm in how the act is implemented, it won't be as strong as we hope. 'I think now it's incumbent on Ofcom to make sure they really do bring those responsible for running social media platforms to account and I haven't seen huge progress in the last couple of years. We would like to see it now.' England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy said she would be joining Carter by stepping away from social media, posting that she would 'not continue to feed the very platform that enables abuse with no consequence'. open image in gallery Mark Bullingham and Sir Keir Starmer with England's players before Euro 2025 ( Getty Images ) The FA joined a mass boycott of social media, led by football players, clubs and leagues in 2021, and while Bullingham did not rule out taking such action again in the future, he pointed that it is down to regulators to step in. 'I think we'll look at any tool within our disposal, to make a difference,' said Bullingham, who confirmed he had yet to hear directly from any of the social media platforms following the abuse suffered by Carter during Euro 2025. 'I think what you've got now, that's different to before, is you've got the online safety act and online harms act that I think we're very keen to see how Ofcom start implementing measures to bring personal accountability to those that are running social media companies, 'Within that, so I think there are different tools at our disposal now and we'll definitely be pursuing those.' While the FA are working with UK police following the abuse suffered by Carter, many of the hateful posts are likely to have also come from abroad, with Bullingham underlined the challenges in tackling social media abuse by saying that prosecuting anyone outside the UK can be 'really hard and generally really expensive'. He added: 'There's been a lot of focus on taking down content - and I think they [social media platforms] could be much better at taking down content - but more importantly, I think they could be much better at preventing it as well, and then in aiding the prosecution when it happens. So at all stages they need to be better.'
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ofcom warned toxic abuse threatens female sport
The head of Sport England has written to Ofcom, the communications industry regulator, to express its "deep concern regarding the recent wave of racist and sexist abuse" directed at England's women's football team on social Boardman, the chairman of the community sport funding agency, said "the toxic culture that persists online threatens to undermine" efforts to increase rates of female defender Jess Carter has revealed she has been targeted with online racist abuse throughout the tournament. In a letter seen by BBC Sport, Boardman warned: "This behaviour is abhorrent and unacceptable in any context, but it is especially disheartening given the progress we have made in championing women and girls in sport."Through Sport England and National Lottery investment, we have committed hundreds of millions of pounds to increase participation, visibility and opportunity for women and girls in sport."In October 2023, the Online Safety Act became law, ensuring social media platforms have a duty to protect users from content such as racism, with Ofcom responsible for enforcing the legislation, and developing codes of practice to guide tech companies. However, some anti-racism campaigners believe there needs to be more urgency."The Online Safety Act 2023 provides a framework to address illegal and harmful content, including hate speech and misogynistic abuse," wrote Boardman."We are particularly interested in how the new codes can be used to address the kind of targeted abuse we are seeing. We understand that Ofcom has also issued draft guidance on improving online safety for women and girls, and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how these measures can be strengthened and enforced."For too long, internet trolls have been given free rein by the big tech companies to spread bile and misery, and this cannot be allowed to continue."Could you please advise what further steps can be taken within the current regulatory framework to tackle misogyny and racism online?"Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Sport that social media companies and Ofcom "need to do more"."I think the act will continue to be tested every time a problem surfaces and it's incumbent on those such as Ofcom and social media platforms to be proactive in rooting this out," she said."We brought in the Online Harms Act this year to make sure there are sanctions for companies that don't take this content down and we are doing a lot of work in schools to educate young people about the impact of online abuse but it's incumbent on all of us to call this out."It's absolutely disgraceful what [Jess Carter] has had to put up with and we are completely behind her and the Lionesses."Ofcom has been approached for comment.
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Racist abuse of Jess Carter ‘ridiculous' and ‘disgusting', says England coach Wiegman
Sarina Wiegman has described the racial abuse suffered by Jess Carter as 'ridiculous' and 'disgusting' ahead of England's European Championship semi-final against Italy on Tuesday. Carter revealed on social media on Sunday that from the start of the tournament, she has 'experienced a lot of racial abuse' and hopes raising the issue 'will make the people writing this abuse think twice so others don't have to deal with it'. Advertisement England will not take the knee before kick-off of their last-four clash in Geneva, Switzerland as a mark of solidarity with their team-mate and instead will stay standing. 'It's really sad that we have to be occupied by this,' said Wiegman in England's pre-match press conference on Monday. 'It is ridiculous and disgusting what is happening and that goes beyond football. We had to pay attention to that and support Jess. Of course, she's not the only one who gets this abuse or racism. That's why she wanted to address it and she's fully supported by the team.' When asked how she balances not giving in to the trolls and potentially protecting Carter by not playing her, Wiegman said: 'We had conversations, and although it's a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person. She wants to move on too, but she also felt, and so did we, that we have to address this, we can't just let it go. 'We're ready to perform, she's ready to perform and compete. That also says a lot about her and the team.' Midfielder Georgia Stanway said the squad have been brought closer together and explained they have decided not to take a knee before kick-off because 'we want more action' on racism. 'We want to create more of a talking point and a point to make more change,' she said. 'We felt like the knee was just a little bit repetitive, it's come to a point where the knee isn't doing what we wanted it to do.' Stanway also said it has not changed how she feels about putting on the England shirt because the abusers are not 'fans'. 'We know that we're wearing it for the people we stand next to, our families, the actual fans that are here to watch the game,' she said. 'I say it with power because I really believe it. I believe that people like that don't deserve to be called fans.' Meanwhile Italy manager Andrea Sonicin and defender Cecilia Salvai said they have the 'greatest solidarity' with Carter. Advertisement 'I hope she can play the game and can detach a bit from that episode tomorrow,' said Salvai. 'Of course she is not the first one and we have the greatest solidarity with her.' Soncin added: 'It should not be tolerated. We have a responsibility with the position we are in to send the right messages, we need to give educational messages, including to children. It is a cultural campaign and battle. I don't know if taking the knee is enough but we are ready to take part in any campaign to help this.' There will be a meeting tonight to discuss any alternative pre-game gesture to the knee. Salvai said the players are 'open' and 'willing' to do whatever is needed to 'give a strong message'.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
England in the semi-finals and Manchester United's infamous five
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today; an extraordinary comeback from the Lionesses against Sweden that culminated in a hugely entertaining penalty shootout. Whatever 'proper English' means in the context of this team let's hope they can manage it for two more games. Elsewhere, possibly the game of the tournament and certainly the best save so far as Germany beat France on penalties and there's some depressing and predictable online racism aimed at Jess Carter to discuss. Plus, Manchester United's five-man bomb squad, concerns for Brentford and your questions answered. Support the Guardian here. You can also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
