Mark Bullingham, the Football Association (FA) chief executive, has voiced strong concerns that social media companies are still not doing enough to protect England players from online racist abuse. His statement comes after England Lionesses defender Jess Carter revealed she had been subjected to "vile" and "abhorrent" racist abuse during Euro 2025.
Carter's experience is unfortunately not an isolated incident. It has been reported that she has been racially abused on social media during Euro 2025. Carter has decided to take a step back from social media. Her fellow defender, Lotte Wubben-Moy, has also withdrawn from social media. The Lionesses have condemned the "vile abuse" and said they will now stop taking the knee.
The FA has contacted the UK police regarding the abuse Carter has suffered and has alerted the social media platform involved. Bullingham stated that the FA would continue discussions with relevant authorities and social media companies about preventative measures. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also condemned the abuse and promised to help authorities identify those responsible.
This incident has sparked widespread condemnation and renewed calls for social media companies to take more responsibility for the content shared on their platforms. Teammates have rallied around Carter, offering their support and speaking out against racism. Lucy Bronze asserted that football players can "thrive" without social media and that platforms should be aware that their services are not essential. She also expressed sadness that Carter might miss out on celebrating with supporters due to the abuse. The Lionesses collectively released a statement via X, denouncing the abuse and emphasizing that representing their country is the "greatest honor". They also stated that it is time to find another way to tackle racism.
The issue of online abuse towards footballers is not new. Following the Euro 2020 final, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho were also subjected to racist abuse after missing penalties. Major English footballing bodies have previously criticized social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for their systemic failure to prevent the spread of racism and harassment. In April, the Premier League boycotted these platforms for three days to demand change. Despite these actions, the problem persists, with some arguing that the situation has worsened.
Critics point out that social media companies' algorithms and moderation systems often fail to effectively detect and remove racist content. Some users have reported that racist comments remained visible for hours, even after being reported. There are calls for these companies to assign more human moderators to proactively monitor comments, especially during high-profile events where the risk of abuse is elevated.
Sanjay Bhandari, chairman of Kick It Out, an anti-racism organization in English football, believes that social media firms have regressed in their efforts to combat online hate. He highlighted that X, formerly Twitter, has become particularly problematic, with a perceived lack of concern from its proprietors regarding the content on the platform. He also noted that abuse on Instagram often occurs through direct messaging, calling for stronger protections against such messages.
The ongoing racist abuse faced by England players highlights the urgent need for social media companies to implement more effective measures to protect their users. This includes improving content moderation, holding abusers accountable, and working with footballing bodies and law enforcement to tackle online hate.
