The Lionesses have gone down on one knee ahead of games since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 as an anti-racist gesture, but tonight they will stand before kick-off with Italy in solidarity with their teammate, Jess Carter. The player has spoken out about the racist abuse she has received online throughout the Euros tournament, and has since shared that she is deleting her social media account ahead of the semi-finals.
In an Instagram post, she shared, “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.” She goes on to share her gratitude for all the support from fans and that she hopes her speaking out will make a positive change for others.
As a result, the team has decided to make a new statement as the message they were sending with the kneel was “not as strong as it used to be,” according to Lucy Bronze. The Lionesses also shared a statement saying, “We and football need to find another way to tackle racism.”
Unfortunately, this kind of abuse is rife in most high-stakes sporting tournaments, where the players’ biggest career moments can be tainted by anonymous online abuse. Through this simple act of not taking the knee, the Lionesses hope to show that the problem is still there and more needs to be done, both in football and society.
Bronze added, “There are always small steps forward, but that’s the problem. It’s always a small step.” Currently, the Football Association (FA) is in contact with the UK Police, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino has offered the governing body’s support to the England team.
With women’s football rapidly gaining popularity, the increased attention has also brought increased abuse. But the team’s decision not to take the knee has already prompted conversations around why more is not being done to tackle this and has brought more attention to the safety of players. We can only hope this will spark a bigger conversation and drive the anti-racism agenda.
In other football news, read about why Lucy Bronze’s strapping scene is an iconic women’s football moment.
