The Lionesses bench opted to stand arm-in-arm instead of taking the knee against Italy to show their support to Jess Carter, standing up to the “ridiculous and disgusting” racist abuse she has been subjected to.

Carter's dad Chris Carter publicly expressed how proud he was of his daughter after her impressive debut at 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. He took to Facebook after England lost 1-0 to Spain in the final, where Chris wrote emotional words about Jess’s time on the pitch.

England defender Jess Carter says she could not have had the confidence to play in England's 2-1 defeat of Italy in their Euro 2025 semi-final after being racially abused were it not for the support of fans.

In the end, Michelle Agyemang didn’t take a penalty. But Jess Carter, who was subbed off after 70 minutes of normal time, received a torrent of abuse, even though England ultimately went through following a heroic comeback. Carter, a centre back who ...