Latest news with #racialabuse
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
England aim to solve 'wobbles' in semi-final, and what to expect from Italy
England's preparations for their Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy on Tuesday have been overshadowed by the racial abuse suffered by defender Jess have had to rally around Carter to offer support, while ensuring they remain focused on their attempts to defend their European endured a difficult few days, whether Carter will start is among the decisions Wiegman will have to consider as England seek to reach a third successive major tournament can Italy upset the defending champions and have England sorted out their defensive issues? Will Wiegman mix up the defence? A recurring theme of England's tournament has been the weaknesses exposed in defence, with France and Sweden's pace causing them has switched positions on three occasions - playing as a right-sided centre-back, a left-sided centre-back and a left-back to try to solve the Greenwood has also switched from centre-back to full-back, while defender Esme Morgan impressed when she came off the bench in the win over has a selection headache with Morgan pushing for a starting place, and she might also choose to protect Carter following the racial abuse. "Although it's a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person and wants to move on. She also felt we had to address this. You can't just let it go," said Wiegman. "We know there's a match going on and we're ready to perform - she's ready to perform and to compete. That says a lot about her and the team."We have headaches all the time because a lot of players can play from the start. It's what makes the team so strong."There were also doubts over the availability of captain Leah Williamson after she was seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot on Thursday. But Wiegman confirmed Williamson has recovered from an ankle injury and she was in full training on Monday. "She really wants to play and she did everything to recover as quickly as possible - and she has. It means she is available," added became the first team to progress from a knockout tie at the Euros having trailed by two goals in their win over Italy have opened the scoring in all four of their matches so can England wipe away the cobwebs and produce a solid defensive display?"I'd like to think we've got all the wobbles out of the way," England forward Beth Mead told BBC Sport. "I think this is very much the business end of the tournament, we've got to be on it and we've got to be very much in the right headspace. We've got to play well in knockout football now." 'Complacency is the biggest mistake' England have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions against Italy and are playing in their seventh Euros have progressed from two of the last three, whereas opponents Italy, ranked 13th in the world, are in the semi-finals for the first time since means England go into Tuesday's game as favourites - but Wiegman is wary of acknowledging that."It would be really disrespectful to think we are the favourites," she said. "They made the semi-final just like we did and that's very impressive for any team. Complacency is the biggest mistake you could make. "You have seen them, how they have played. I don't think there is any way we can think that we might be favourites. We have to be at our very best to win."Defender Alex Greenwood told BBC Radio 5 Live it has become an "expectation" that England reach at least the semi-finals."I think as a team now, we've set those standards to reach these levels. We're really proud of that achievement," she said England "thrive under pressure", while Brighton midfielder Fran Kirby, who retired from international football before the tournament, admitted Italy are "definitely the underdogs"."I think everyone knows that from the outside," Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live."But on the flip side, Italy will have seen England's performances and think that there's an opportunity there as well because they know they can score goals. "[Hopefully] England play the way that we know they can play and really shut up shop defensively." What challenge will Italy pose? Though the top division of women's football in Italy was established in 1968, it's only in recent years that their domestic game turned fully national team have never dropped below 19th in Fifa's world rankings - but they failed to qualify for four successive World Cups between 2003 and what kind of challenge will Italy pose England when they meet at 20:00 BST on Tuesday?"They have got a never-say-die attitude. They are a very aggressive, hard team to play against," said Mead. "They can be frustrating and they have individual quality."It's going to be a tough game and I know they're very much going to be up for it. They have something to prove, as do we. "We're defending champions but we've got to go out there and put the performance in. We've got to be at the races to beat this Italian team."In recent meetings, England have come out on side earned a 2-1 win in the Arnold Clark Cup in February 2023, before inflicting a 5-1 defeat in a friendly 12 months later. But in captain Cristiana Girelli, Italy have a player in form - the 35-year-old has netted three goals in the tournament so far."I think both teams will be confident going into the game for different reasons," added Kirby. "It's going to be really interesting, but I think England just need to tighten up a little bit. The Italian fans are also super passionate." What are the pundits saying? Former England captain Steph Houghton told BBC Radio 5 Live she is "really confident" they can reach a third successive major final."We can take really great confidence in how we came back against Sweden. It was more of a semi-final. It's an amazing opportunity for us," added said England were "very expansive" against Sweden and they cannot afford to be the same against Italy."We were losing every second ball. Sweden killed us in the transition moments with their pace and Italy have quite a similar way of playing," added Kirby. "England really needs to focus on that side of the game against Italy. But I don't think Italy are as strong as Sweden."Ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha believes England have shown they are capable of performing in the biggest moments."It's tough to not believe in them. They have done everything they have needed to get to this point," he said. "Against Sweden, we saw them suffer but they found a way and made Sweden really uncomfortable. "When you are a winner, why would you not take belief into the next game?"
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
England's Carter tipped to perform in Euro 2025 semi despite 'disgusting' abuse
England coach Sarina Wiegman said Monday that Lionesses defender Jess Carter is "ready to perform" in the Women's Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy despite racial abuse against her overshadowing the build-up to the game. "We have had conversations and although it is a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person," Wiegman told reporters in Geneva ahead of Tuesday's last-four clash. "She also felt, and so did we, that we had to address this, we couldn't just let it go. "So we did, and then we know there is a match going on and we want to perform -- we are ready to perform, she is ready to perform and to compete and that says a lot about her and about the team." Carter, 27, has started all of the reigning European champions' matches so far at the tournament in Switzerland, including the dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Sweden in the quarter-finals. On Sunday, the English Football Association revealed it had alerted UK police as soon as it was made aware of the abuse. Carter, who plays club football in the United States, said she would take a step back from social media to focus on the tournament. "It is really sad that we have to be occupied with this," added Wiegman. "It is ridiculous and disgusting that this is happening and it goes beyond football, so we had to pay attention to that and support Jess." Midfielder Georgia Stanway, meanwhile, insisted that what had happened had brought the team together as they target winning through to a third consecutive major tournament final. "If anything it has probably brought us together as a team," said the Bayern Munich player. "There are some things that we will never be able to understand. We need to cut it out of society and we need to cut it out of football," she added, while saying that the squad had chosen to stop taking a knee to highlight racism because it had become "a little repetitive". "We felt it had come to a point that it wasn't doing what we wanted it to do. Hopefully that will bring about more change and get people talking." England came back from the brink against Sweden in Zurich, scoring twice late on to force extra time before triumphing in a remarkable penalty shoot-out. If they win against 13th-ranked Italy, they will advance to Sunday's final against either Germany -- the team they defeated in the 2022 final at Wembley -- or Spain, who beat them in the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney. "It would be really disrespectful to Italy to think we are the favourites. They made the semi-finals just like we did and that is really impressive for any team, so complacency is just the biggest mistake you could make," Wiegman said. "We have seen how they play so I don't think there is anything that could make you think we might be the favourites. We will have to be at our very best to win the game." Wiegman also hinted that all her players were fit and available for the match, meaning captain Leah Williamson should feature despite being forced off with an ankle injury against Sweden. as/nf
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
World Rugby upholds England's racism claim after Argentina clash
England rugby players were subjected to racial abuse during their second Test match against Argentina in San Juan on 12 July, World Rugby has found. The organisation conducted an "immediate and thorough investigation" into the incident but was unable to identify the individuals responsible for the hate speech. Following the investigation, World Rugby and the Argentine Rugby Union have developed an action plan to educate fans and prevent similar incidents in the future. Both World Rugby chair Brett Robinson and England Rugby CEO Bill Sweeney condemned the discriminatory behaviour, saying that racism has no place in the sport or society. The match saw England secure a 22-17 victory, completing a 2-0 series win over Argentina.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
World Rugby issues statement over Argentina fans' racist abuse of England players
World Rugby has issued a statement after England's players were subjected to racial abuse during their second Test with Argentina. Steve Borthwick 's side eked out a 22-17 victory in San Juan on July 12, but the match was marred by hate speech directed at a number of England stars. The sport's global governing body has stated that 'it is clear an incident took place' after an 'immediate and through investigation' was undertaken. But after analysing witness statements, video analysis and other lines of enquiry, World Rugby has been unable to identify the individuals responsible. It was also stated that World Rugby has worked with the Argentine Rugby Union to develop an action plan to 'educate fans and better prevent such unacceptable incidents from occurring again'. 'Rugby completely condemns discriminatory behaviour of any kind,' World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said. 'We offer our full support to the players involved and want them to know that rugby stands with them in opposing racism. I applaud their courage in raising what must have been a highly distressing experience. 'The rugby family holds our values close to our heart, we will never compromise what we stand for. We use our global platform to say with one voice that racism, or any other kind of hate, has no place not just in rugby, but society as a whole. We expect the rugby family to set an example and model the values that underpin a sport where all are welcome. 'I would like to thank the Union Argentina de Rugby for their cooperation both in attempting to identify the individuals involved and for swiftly developing a comprehensive plan which we believe will make such incidents less likely in future.' England Rugby CEO Bill Sweeney added: "There is absolutely no place for racism in our sport—or in any society—and these incidents must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. "Every player, regardless of their background, has the right to represent their country with pride and dignity, free from discrimination and abuse. We are in close contact with the players affected and have offered them our full support. "We're pleased that World Rugby was able to act swiftly to investigate and thank UAR for their full cooperation and support throughout. We trust that they will take the necessary steps to prevent any recurrence of such unacceptable behaviour." England completed an impressive 2-0 series win in Argentina, with a last-gasp Jack van Poortvliet try sealing a second Test victory in San Juan.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Racism mars Women's Euros as England's Jess Carter becomes latest victim
LONDON, July 21 — England football chiefs have alerted police after defender Jess Carter revealed she has been the target of 'a lot of racial abuse' during the Women's Euros in Switzerland. The 27-year-old, who has started all of the defending champions' matches so far, said she would take a step back from social media to focus on the tournament. Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said his organisation 'immediately contacted UK police' as soon as it was made aware of the abuse and vowed to ensure 'those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice'. The England team said instead of taking a knee to highlight racism, they would remain standing before Tuesday's semi-final against Italy, adding: 'It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.' Writing on her social media accounts, Carter, who has 49 England caps, said: '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.' England forward Lauren James suffered online racist abuse after a defeat for her club side Chelsea in 2023. England men's players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho were targeted after the team's Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy. England boss Sarina Wiegman said: 'I stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.' European football's governing body Uefa expressed its support for Carter while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that 'there is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society'. — AFP
