Gotham FC's Jess Carter has suffered racial abuse at Euro 2025 | OneFootball

On Sunday morning, NJ/NY Gotham FC's own Jess Carter revealed that she has suffered racial abuse throughout the UEFA European Women's Championship this summer. She said the following on a post on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram:

"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. 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 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 my energy into helping my team.”

Jess Carter has suffered racial abuse

It is unknown whether the racial abuse has been from opposing teams' fans or England's supporters. Regardless of who, it is heartbreaking to see that the Gotham FC player is suffering racial abuse during the Euros. The fact that it is ongoing is very concerning.

England is taking action and has contacted the appropriate authorities, including police in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, based on England's statement and Carter's act of stepping back from social media, it appears that the majority of the racial abuse has occurred online. Truly, if anything happened during games, then the players would have stopped playing. But again, it does not matter how the racial abuse is conducted, for racial abuse of any kind is absolutely horrendous and not okay.

To make matters worse, England's Lucy Bronze has revealed other players at the Euros have also suffered racial abuse. It is not known who or which countries they represent.

Meanwhile, Gotham FC has voiced the club's support for Carter. The team released the following statement:

"We are heartbroken and outraged by the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter. Jess is not only a world-class football player — she is a role model, a leader and a valued part of our Gotham FC family. At Gotham, we believe in a culture of mutual respect and remain committed to building a game — and a community — where everyone feels safe, respected and celebrated.

"There is no place for racism in our sport. We stand with Jess, and we deeply appreciate the support for Jess from the Lionesses and England’s Football Association as they compete at the UEFA Women’s Championship."

While Carter has received plenty of support and love from teammates, other players, and fans, there have also been more unkind comments on social media. As a reminder to those who refuse to believe that this abuse occurs, some of it can be removed by social media sites and some can be via direct messages.

It is saddening to see that this continues to happen. As Carter mentioned, criticism is fair regarding performances, as she has struggled in moments during the Euros. But racial abuse is not okay, and it is heartbreaking that people will say such hateful comments.