This video can not be played
Lionesses Rally Around Carter Following Racial Abuse: Bronze Speaks Out
England defender Lucy Bronze has stated that the rise in popularity of women’s football has unfortunately correlated with an increase in abuse directed at players, following teammate Jess Carter’s revelation of receiving racist messages during Euro 2025 qualifying.
Carter announced her decision to step back from social media after being subjected to “a lot of racial abuse” throughout the tournament. The Football Association has affirmed its commitment to “working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.”
The Lionesses have also opted to discontinue the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches, explaining that “it was clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.”
Bronze, a mainstay in England’s squad as they prepare to face Italy in Tuesday’s semi-final, noted that players have encountered “more abuse” in the wake of their international success.
“The bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are but the more critics there are,” Bronze explained.
“We’re obviously open to critics, that’s why we love the sport, but we’re not open to abuse. Especially in women’s football, the online abuse seems to be getting worse and worse.
“We see it more in the stadiums in men’s football and online, but I think with women’s football there seems to be a real target online.
“It’s something that we’re very aware of. There is a way to make a change. There is a solution. I don’t have the answer, but I’m sure that there is one.”
Bronze mentioned that Sarina Wiegman’s squad held discussions prior to the tournament to address the issue of abuse, acknowledging it as a “huge factor specifically in women’s football.”
Before departing for Switzerland, England striker Alessia Russo shared her preference to avoid social media due to the “damaging” nature of the abuse.
Chelsea forward Lauren James, who experienced racist abuse during the 2023 Women’s World Cup and subsequent Women’s Super League season, has previously stated that the abuse “never really stops.”
These comments followed British tennis player Katie Boulter’s disclosure to BBC Sport about being targeted with online abuse and death threats.
In 2021, football clubs, players, and sporting organizations initiated a four-day boycott of social media platforms in an effort to combat abuse and discrimination.
Bronze expressed her hope that standing before kick-off instead of taking a knee would amplify the message “around the world.”
“We know the people higher up are the ones who can ultimately put in things to make change. But I think we know we’re never helpless as players,” she added.
“Our voices are loud enough to be heard by people around the world, whether that’s social media platforms or federations like Uefa and Fifa.
“That’s something we’re very proud of as a Lionesses team, that we’ve created this voice and a platform so we can reach the highest of heights. We’re willing to use that platform and that voice to make differences.”
“People need to be held accountable,” she asserted, also calling for greater action from social media platforms.
Regarding teammate Carter’s decision to publicly address the racist abuse, Bronze stated: “For her to speak out is so empowering to our whole team in general, especially to the likes of someone like Michelle [Agyemang] who is in her first tournament.
“It gives people more power to be brave, stand up and speak up and see all the team-mates and the country are behind [Carter]. That means a lot in moments like this.
“A lot of players have known that this has always been an issue in football. To hear Jess talking about it yesterday, we’re all just so disappointed in so-called fans writing these messages.
“For Jess herself, she probably wouldn’t put it out to the world, but it’s obviously difficult for her to go through. We know it’s not just Jess as well.”