England defender Carter the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025

ZURICH :England defender Jess Carter said she has been the target of racist abuse since Euro 2025 began in Switzerland, and announced on Sunday that she is stepping away from social media for the duration of the tournament.

"Whilst every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don't agree or think that it's ok to target someone's appearance or race," Carter, who is Black, posted in a lengthy Instagram statement. "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."

The 27-year-old has started all four of England's games at the tournament. England play Italy in the semifinals on Tuesday in Geneva.

"We have made 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."

FA CEO Mark Bullingham condemned the abuse.

"Our priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs," Bullingham said in a statement. "We strongly condemn those responsible for this disgusting racism."

Bullingham said the FA has been in contact with UK police, who are in touch with the relevant social media platform.

"We are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice," he said.

"Regrettably this is not the first time this has happened to an England player, so we had measures in place to allow us to respond quickly and where possible provide information to support any potential police action."