The Lionesses have been criticised by the head of football’s international anti-discriminatory body for their decision to stop taking the knee after Jess Carter was racially abused.
Centre-back Carter, who played 70 minutes of England’s Euro 2025 quarter-final victory over Sweden, said she would be stepping away from social media after she received a ‘lot’ of online hate following the win.
The Lionesses later said they would no longer be taking the knee, as it was ‘clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism’ and that they would instead aim to create a new statement that sparks ‘conversation and change’.
The decision was backed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who rejoiced at the abandonment of the ‘crazy gesture’, while the Football Association (FA) is also said to be fully supportive.
But the head of football’s international anti-discriminatory body, Fare, has hit out at England for ending the gesture.
Piara Powar, Fare’s executive director, said that taking of the knee is a ‘powerful anti-racist act’and is ‘needed right now’.
He told the BBC: ‘The players have taken a decision to stop taking the knee, which is their right.
‘I personally don’t see the link between the two. The taking of the knee is a powerful anti-racist act and this England team have shown leadership across Europe in taking it for so long.
‘Powerful actions are needed right now, to deal with the issues that are being played out as we speak.’
He also said regulator Ofcom must start taking stronger action against social media platforms.
‘The racial abuse of Jess Carter highlights again how toxic some social media users are.
‘It also raises the question of the responsibility of the platforms to identify and remove harmful abuse such as racism.’
The Online Safety Act, which was passed in October 2023, states that social media platforms have a duty to protect users from racism, violence and death threats.
Powar’s comments come after the police were brought in to work with the FA over ensuring those ‘responsible for the hate crime are brought to justice’.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said they ‘immediately contacted police’ following Carter’s abuse and that their ‘priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs.’
Meanwhile, in response, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘There is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society.’
On Sunday, the Lionesses confirmed they would not take the knee, for the first time this tournament, in their semi-final against Italy on Tuesday night.
In a statement, the Lionesses said: ‘We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism. No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life.
‘Representing our country is the greatest honour. It is not right that while we are doing that some of us are treated differently simply because of the colour of our skin.
‘Until now we have chosen to take the knee before matches. 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.
‘We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done. For now, we will return our total focus to an important semi-final.
‘In the meantime, we know the FA are working with UK police and the appropriate bodies. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.’
Manager Sarina Wiegman said: ‘Although it is a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person and she wants to move on too. She also felt – as we did – that we had to address this.
‘You can’t just let it go, so we didn’t. And then we know that there’s a match going on. We’re ready to perform.’
Wiegman confirmed that Carter, who plays for New Jersey-based Gotham FC and has started every game for England in Switzerland, would be available against Italy.
‘She’s ready to perform and compete, and that says a lot about her and the team,’ she said.
Asked how it felt as a manager to deal with such a situation, Wiegman replied: ‘It’s really sad that we have to be occupied by this. It is ridiculous and disgusting what is happening and that goes beyond football.
‘Of course, she’s not the only one who gets this abuse or racism. That’s why she wanted to address it and she’s fully supported by the team.’
England midfielder Georgia Stanway added: ‘If anything it has probably brought us together as a team.
‘There’s some things that we will never be able to understand, and that’s one of those.
‘We need to cut it out of society and football. We don’t know the steps that it takes in order for that to happen, but right now all we can do is show our support, our togetherness, and we can be united in what we want to make sure is right.’
Their semi-final opponents joined in their support for Carter, with Italy manager Andrea Soncin saying that the players will discuss a ‘possible gesture’ to show their solidarity on Monday night.
‘There is the greatest of solidarity to her and towards anyone suffering violence and abuse. It should not be tolerated,’ the 46-year-old said.
‘We have a responsibility with the position we are in to send the right messages, we need to give education messages, including to children, it is a cultural campaign, a cultural battle.
Taking the knee has been used since the Black Lives Matter movement came to prominence in 2020 to support football’s fight against racism.
But the gesture has been criticised for simply become a tokenistic exercise, designed to show that football cares about the issue without committing to change on a deeper level.
Suggesting that this is now the view of Wiegman’s camp, Lionesses veteran Lucy Bronze told the Telegraph: ‘Is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard?’
Alex Greenwood, in answer to those questions, admitted: ‘There’s maybe a feeling that it has lost its power’.
The Lionesses are by no means the first to refuse taking the knee. In 2021, former Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha announced that he would not be performing the gesture before games – claiming it was ‘degrading’ and had become routine.
‘I think the meaning behind the whole thing is becoming something that we just do now,’ he said. ‘That’s not enough. I’m not going to take the knee.’
In the wake of the Lionesses’ announcement, FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered his support to Carter, while FA chief Mark Bullingham, UEFA, the National Women’s Soccer League and her football club Gotham FC also released statements condemning the abuse.
‘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,’ Infantino said.
‘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.’
