Jess Carter has recalled the racism she received online during Euro 2025, revealing that it gave her anxiety throughout the tournament.
The defender was part of the Lionesses squad that successfully defended their European Championship trophy.
However, Carter was subjected to online abuse, particularly after England’s quarter-final victory over Sweden.
Research found that Carter was the England player targeted the most during the Sweden clash.
Carter stepped back from social media after revealing the abuse she had received in a post online.
Carter has been named The Guardian Footballer of the Year, and she looked back on the racist abuse during an interview with the newspaper.
Jess Carter recalls Euro 2025 racism
Speaking to the Guardian, Carter said that receiving racism “makes you question everything about yourself.”
She said: “When we’re younger, we’re taught to get on with it, that there’s always going to be people like that and you just have to ignore it, but at that time I was not feeling very confident in myself in terms of my football.
“Where normally I don’t care what people have got to say about me, I think having that lack of confidence and then getting the abuse meant the impact was totally different.”
She added: “It gave me a lot of anxiety throughout the tournament, and I’d never had that happen before – I’m not an anxious person.
“Having that on top of the lack of confidence was really tough. It made me very anxious when I was on the pitch. I was thinking: ‘God, if I mess up or this happens, what will happen?”
Carter said she did not want to go out between games, but her partner, Ann-Katrin Berger, told the defender she “can’t hide away.”
The centre-back contributed to the two goals England conceded against Sweden and saw the messages while going to the stands to see her family after the penalty shootout win.
She showed the messages to her sister, who also encouraged her to speak out, insisting Carter would want to support her teammates if they had been subject to the same abuse. While initially reluctant, Carter did speak up as she felt a “sense of responsibility.”
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Jess Carter’s 2025
On the pitch, Carter enjoyed a successful 2025 for both the Lionesses and Gotham FC.
Carter bounced back from the difficult clash against Sweden with an excellent display in the Euro 2025 final against Spain.
She would then play a part in Gotham FC’s success as they won the NWSL championship.
After the game, Carter said that it had been an “up and down year” for her.
