Don’t expect the Lionesses to take a knee before their Euro semifinal game against Italy on Tuesday, July 22. The women’s team representing England said Sunday, July 20, they will not take a knee against racism due to attacks on player Jess Carter.
The Gotham FC star posted on her Instagram account, “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.”
Her national team added, “We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.”
“Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches,” the team adds. ”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.”
According to Sky Sports, the 27-year-old revealed she has been the subject of racist slurs since the tournament began. The team stated that they are collaborating with the Football Association (FA) and the United Kingdom police to identify those responsible for the social media posts.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X, “There is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society. I stand with Jess, the Lionesses, and any players who have suffered racism, on and off the pitch.”
The Independent reports the team has taken a knee ever since the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
This is not the first time the FA has dealt with issues of racism against its English players.
“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,” FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham told the Independent. “We will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done to prevent this abhorrent abuse.”
