FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INGANTINO 'DEEPLY SADDENED' BY RACIST ABUSE TOWARDS ENGLAND'S JESS CARTER

Jess Carter has been the target of racist abuse on social media during Euro 2025 and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised to help the authorities identify the culprits

FIFA president Gianni Infantino (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has expressed his deep sorrow over the online racial abuse targeted at England's Jess Carter during Euro 2025, vowing that FIFA will collaborate with relevant authorities to identify those responsible.

Defender Carter announced she would be "taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with" after disclosing she had been subjected to "a lot of racial abuse" throughout the tournament in Switzerland.

Infantino took to Instagram to express his dismay: "I am deeply saddened to see the online abuse directed at England's Jess Carter during the ongoing Women's EURO tournament. There is no place for racism in football or in society.

"We stand with Jess. We stand with every player and every individual who has suffered from racist abuse.

"No player should be discriminated against in any way, they should be free to be at their very best on the pitch.

"Through FIFA's Social Media Protection Service, we have helped tackle such abuse across multiple tournaments. We will continue to collaborate and support confederations, FIFA Member Associations and their players.

"In this instance, we will be offering our support with any further action required, as well as sharing data for appropriate action to be taken against any perpetrators."

Mark Bullingham, the chief of the Football Association, confirmed that his organisation has already reported the "abhorrent" abuse to UK police, who are "in touch with the relevant social media platform".

Bullingham stated the FA "will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done."

Lucy Bronze expressed her sadness for England teammate Carter ahead of the Lionesses semi-final clash with Italy in Geneva on Tuesday, whilst cautioning social media firms that football players can "thrive" without their platforms.

"I think no player needs social media," Bronze remarked. "I think that's one thing that we can always remember, is that we play football because we love the sport.

"Someone like Jess, she's had an amazing tournament. I think she was one of our best players in the Netherlands game, for example, and she should be able to see messages and the fans and the support and live in that moment, because it's something you should be able to celebrate."

The Lionesses have reached a collective decision that they will not be "taking the knee" before kick-off in Geneva, abandoning the symbolic anti-racism gesture that has become commonplace across sport since 2016, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the Star Spangled Banner in protest.

"Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches," the team statement declared.

"It's 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."

- Husmukh Kerai

ENGLAND REACH EURO 2025 SEMIFINALS AFTER SHOOTOUT WIN OVER SWEDEN

The reigning European champions were staring at elimination with 11 minutes remaining in normal time after conceding twice.

England beat Sweden 3-2 in a chaotic penalty shoot-out to continue their title defence.

England roared into the semi-finals of Women's Euro 2025 on Thursday after coming back from two goals down and then beating Sweden 3-2 in a chaotic penalty shoot-out to continue their title defence.  Smilla Holmberg blasted over from the spot to settle the shootout drama in Zurich after the match finished 2-2 thanks to Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang's quick-fire strikes just as England looked to be limping out of the tournament. The reigning European champions were staring at elimination with 11 minutes remaining in normal time after Kosovare Asllani, who opened the scoring with her 50th international goal in the second minute, and Stina Blackstenius shot Sweden into a two-goal lead at half-time.

"That was one of the hardest games I have ever watched. We could have been out four or five times," England boss Sarina Wiegman told the BBC. 

"We started badly. We didn't create anything so we changed shape and we scored two goals which was crazy. The shootout, we missed a lot but they missed more and we're through."

England will face Italy, who are in the last four for the first time since 1997, in the last four in Geneva on Tuesday after a rollercoaster comeback. 

*Not how we planned it to be, of course, but it's a learning experience that we put in our back pocket and learn from going forward," Chloe Kelly, who was key to both England goals and took one of the few good penalties of the shootout, told reporters.

"We solved the problems and then it was about getting back in the game. The resilience of the team is incredible."

Defeat ended Sweden's bid for a first major honour since winning the first official Euros back in 1984, Peter Gerhardsson's team falling in the most painful of fashions.

Goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, who saved four penalties, had the chance to send Sweden through but like Holmberg she scooped her effort over the bar and gave England the chance to reach the last four.

"All analysis feels fairly pointless right now, right now it's melancholy. You feel a certain sadness that it turned out this way," said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson.

England survive

England scored 10 goals in their final two Group D matches to reach the last eight but showed none of that attacking flair in the early stages at the Letzigrund Stadium.

Sweden were on the front foot from the off and somehow it was no surprise when Asllani drilled home her opener after just one minute and 46 seconds, the attacking midfielder being left completely free to collect Blackstenius' lay-off and score.

Jess Carter's loose pass led to that goal and moments later goalkeeper Hannah Hampton almost gifted Blackstenius her third goal of the tournament after miscontrolling the ball and allowing the Arsenal striker to bear down on an open goal before Leah Williamson slid in to cut out the danger.

Lauren Hemp's pot shot was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Falk but that was a rare bright spot in a dismal opening half for England, who were deservedly two behind at the break.

Blackstenius showed how lethal she can be in the 25th minute when she raced in behind a dozing English defence, collected Julia Zigiotti Olme's pass, held off Carter and slotted home.

England were brighter after the restart and Hemp should have halved the deficit when she failed to direct Lauren James' cross on target.

And Bronze gave England hope by heading home a searching cross in the 79th minute from Kelly, one of four late substitutions alongside Agyemang who two minutes later reacted quickest to a loose ball and prodded England level.

Extra time passed without much incident and that left the shootout in which a parade of poor penalties ended with Holmberg ballooning her effort way over and sending England through.

- Agence France-Presse

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