England star Jess Carter has received racist abuse online throughout the Lionesses’ European Championship campaign.
The 27-year-old, who has been capped 49 times for her country, released a statement on Sunday revealing she is ‘taking a step back from social media; after being targeted from the start of the competition in Switzerland.
The Lionesses also plan to stop the anti-racism move of taking a knee before matches, insisting it ‘clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism’.
The Football Association has also confirmed they are working with UK police and the relevant social media platforms.
‘From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse,’ Carter said in a statement released by the FA.
‘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.’
