“Playing football is important, but the fight against racism is very important,” remarked a teary-eyed Vinicius Junior last year, struggling to hold back his emotions in front of the media while addressing one of the biggest unresolved issues in the beautiful game. Governing bodies like FIFA, UEFA, and CONMEBOL may not hesitate to punish those found guilty, but the harsh truth is that racism and verbal abuse continue to plague the sport. And now, it’s another day and another unfortunate incident—this time in the women’s game. Amidst the ongoing Euro 2025, a month after British tennis star Katie Boulter opened up on online abuse, Jess Carter has become the latest victim. But quickly rallying to her defense is none other than her Lionesses teammate, Lucy Bronze.
It all came to light after Carter herself shared a lengthy message on her social media platform, sharing how she’s been a subject of racial abuse since the start of the ongoing UEFA Euros 2025. “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,” wrote the 27-year-old.
As for those in her support, she is grateful for them, yet wishes to take a step back from social media life to protect her mental peace as she aims to remain focused and deliver for the Lionesses who are in the semifinals of the tournament. Rest, Jess hopes that speaking up will make another “positive change for all.” Since this message, many have come up in support of the former Chelsea star, with current England teammate Lucy Bronze being one of them.
In a presser, while touching upon the subject, while recalling this isn’t the first time she and her teammates have spoken on this subject, Bronze said, “The bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are, but the more critics there are. We’re obviously open to critics – that’s why we love the sport – but we’re not open to abuse, and I think the bigger the sport’s got it seems to be that more abuses come as well, and I think especially in women’s football, the online abuse seems to be getting worse and worse.”
Bronze explained that while men are subjected to racial abuse more in the stadiums, the women’s game is targeted online. “There is a way to make a change. There is a solution. I don’t have the answer, but I’m sure that there is one,” concluded the 33-year-old, hoping this comes to an end.
“We’re open to critics, but we’re not open to abuse.”
England are working with police after Jess Carter said she has been experiencing “a lot of racial abuse” during Euro 2025. pic.twitter.com/dj8gJPH6zA
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 20, 2025
Notably, Bronze wasn’t alone in coming to the support of her former Chelsea buddy, with many other Lionesses stars also stepping up to speak out on the issue. For instance, defender Lotte Wubben-Moy also decided to come off social media for the time being. “I will not continue to feed the very platform that enables abuse with no consequence,” she said as part of her statement. Meanwhile, the Lionesses as a team, too, are doing their part to stand in solidarity with Carter.
Lionesses take a major step to support Jess Carter
Following the statement from Jess Carter, the England women’s national team released a statement on the matter. While remarking how representing the Lionesses is the greatest honor for any player, getting treated differently because of skin color is something they highly condemn. In fact, starting with the semifinal against Italy on Tuesday, the entire squad has decided to stop taking a knee before matches. “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,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, also said in a statement that the FA contacted the UK police as soon as they came to know about the incident and is working closely with them to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Credits: Instagram/Jess Carter
Further expressing remorse for this incident was FIFA president Gianni Infantino, insisting there’s zero tolerance for racism in the beautiful game or even outside it. “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,” said Infantino.
In fact, the FIFA chief added that with the help of FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service, they have previously managed to tackle such abuse across multiple tournaments. Gianni emphasized that FIFA will continue collaborating with and supporting confederations, FIFA Member Associations, and their players.
In this instance, he stated that the organization will offer its full support for any further action required, including sharing data to ensure appropriate measures are taken against the perpetrators. Meanwhile, similar statements and support were also extended by UEFA, as well as Jess Carter’s domestic side Gotham FC.
Either way, let’s see what measures are taken at this stage. For now, share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Euros 2025: Lucy Bronze Sends Clear Message to Jess Carter Trollers as Soccer World Rallies Around NWSL Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
