Unbelievably, Jess Carter was allowed to play for England in the Euros despite having a serious injury.
During Euro 2025, Lionesses player Jess Carter said she was’scared to play’ for the first time in her career after experiencing racial taunts. After the Lionesses defeated Sweden in the quarterfinals last month, the 27-year-old Carter was subjected to the abuse.
She was included in manager Sarina Wiegman’s starting lineup for the final, though, where they defeated Spain in a thrilling penalty shootout to win the European Championship for the second time in a row and exact revenge for losing to the same opponents at the World Cup two years prior. Carter talked about the experience of being subjected to racial abuse after playing a key role in the team that won another trophy under Wiegman.
In an interview with ITV News, she stated: “Sarina had previously told me she wanted to play me during the lead-up to the Spain match.” I didn’t say anything at the moment, but I was thinking, “Are you sure?” I recall being anxious the night before the match [to play Spain].
I had never been afraid to play until that moment. “I believe it was a combination of my performances leading up to such a significant game and my fear of any abuse that might accompany it, whether it be football-related because people were upset that I was playing or whether it would be racial abuse.” Her most recent remarks follow her thanking her teammates for their support after winning the competition’s final. Carter, who now plays for Gotham FC in the United States, once said: “I was really afraid to play the final for the first time in my life.”
We couldn’t have accomplished this without the amazing support of the fans throughout the competition. We are really appreciative of them and this occasion. It is not in our DNA to give up. Since day one, we have been united. I am very honored to be proud of this team, and I couldn’t be more proud. “No one is more disappointed in my past performances than I am.” Michelle Agyemang, Khiara Keating, Lauren James, and Jess Carter celebrate defeating Spain in the Eurp 2025 final.
Carter continued by expressing her anxiety for her teammate Lauren James, stating that she was afraid of the “astronomical” racial taunts the Chelsea player could have received if she had been the only England player to miss a penalty in their quarterfinal shootout with Sweden. “It’s terrible to say, but it’s almost like a sigh of relief when other players who weren’t black missed a penalty, because the racism that would have come with LJ [Lauren James] being the only one that missed would have been astronomical,” Carter continued, as reported by ITV News.
“Knowing how it will be for us [Black England players] if we miss is more important than wanting them to fail.” Carter declared that she was leaving social media after receiving “a lot” of hate mail online.
Lucy Bronze, a 33-year-old England teammate, later issued a scathing denunciation of the offensive remarks directed at Carter and disclosed that harassment has increased in the women’s game due to its increased popularity. We are all aware that any player of color who has represented England has most likely experienced racist taunts. Bronze remarked, “That’s a sad fact in this day and age.” We’re upset and saddened that our teammate has experienced this. We do not wish for it to occur. Our attention should be on the football. “When playing for England, we want Jess and everyone else who dons an England shirt to be brave and happy.”
In an attempt to address the issue in a different way, Wiegman and the Lionesses agreed that it was ‘not good enough’ for episodes of racial abuse to continue to occur, therefore England decided to discontinue taking the knee before games. In recent years, women’s football has seen a surge in popularity, but as Bronze demonstrated, this rise has also presented significant obstacles. “There are more fans and critics, and the noise level increases as the game gets bigger,” she continued.
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