FIFA boss offers support as England's Jess Carter leaves social media amid online racist abuse
Carter, whose father is African American, on Sunday announced she is stepping away from social media for the duration of the tournament.
The 27-year-old has started all four of England's games at the tournament, but struggled in their quarterfinal win over Sweden on Thursday as the Lionesses conceded two first-half goals.
Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham condemned the abuse, and said the FA has been in contact with UK police, who are in touch with the relevant social media platform, to "ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice".
"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 a statement.
"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."
European soccer's governing body UEFA, Carter's club Gotham FC, the National Women's Soccer League, and the Lionesses all also posted statements in support of the player.
Carter's teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy said in an Instagram post that she planned to come off social media as well.
Reuters

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
44 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Cricket world left wincing as Ben Stokes cops brutal shot to the groin
Sky Sports were forced to apologise to viewers after Ben Stokes took a smack to his privates against India. Fans were left wincing after the England star was whacked with a cricket ball during play in the fourth Test. Joe Root hit a magnificent 150 on day three of the Fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford. Root's 38th Test century bumped him up to second on the all-time leading run-scorers list in Test cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar. But it was Stokes, 34, who nearly stole the headlines after the ball slammed right into his groin. Stokes was batting when a ferocious shot rocketed between his bat and, well, found its mark. Cameras zoomed on Stokes writhing in pain, leading to a wave of sympathetic groans from viewers at home. The commentator said: 'Oh! Movement, pain. He's been hit in the midships again.' While Prakash Wakankar on comms joked about what the physio could do about it. The commentator then added: 'Sorry if you heard any expletives there, but perhaps you can understand why.' Fans took to social media to joke about the incident, with one writing: 'X marks the spot'. While another said: 'Should have protection there.' A third added: 'That's got to hurt.' Stokes, ever the warrior, eventually picked himself up, though with a noticeable limp. He briefly went off injured but returned to remain not out as England went 544-7 after the first Innings. England lead India by 186 runs with three wickets remaining. Meanwhile, Root pushed past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting with his 150. It's now only Tendulkar keeping him off the summit. The Yorkshireman, 34, has a way to go to eclipse The Little Master's tally of 15,921. He needs a further 2,513 runs to become No 1 - but at the relatively young age of 34, Tendulkar's record seems achievable.

Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Oscar Piastri claims Belgian GP sprint pole with stunning record lap
Don't miss out on the headlines from Motorsport. Followed categories will be added to My News. Series leader Oscar Piastri secured pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix when he beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.477 seconds with a devastating record lap in his McLaren. The 24-year-old Australian, who leads the drivers' championship by eight points ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris, clocked a fastest lap in 1min 40.510sec on Friday to seize the prime starting position. Oscar Piastri during sprint qualifying. Picture:He was six-tenths of a second faster than Norris who was third ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon of Haas, Carlos Sainz of Williams and Oliver Bearman in the second Haas. Pierre Gasly was eighth for Alpine ahead of Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto while seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton wound up in 18th place after spinning his Ferrari in SQ1. 'That was a good lap!' said Piastri. 'I had a scare in SQ2 with the deletion of my lap, but the car has been mega all day so thanks to the team. The car is great.' Piastri's success helped him erase his disappointment at the British Grand Prix where he was handed a 10-second penalty and felt he missed out on a victory as Norris won to trim his lead in the title race. Verstappen, in his first race weekend since the exit of team boss Christian Horner, said he was satisfied with P2. 'To be there between the two of them is a good result for us,' he said. 'And I enjoyed it out there and the lap was good. The gap is big, so we have to focus on ourselves and the balance of the car.' The session began in bright and breezy conditions at the majestic old circuit in the Ardennes, soon after new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies had made his first public appearance after replacing Horner. As expected, the Frenchman told a news conference his priority was to secure the future of Verstappen. He also revealed he had been as shocked as everyone else when he received the news of Horner's exit and the job offer. Mario Isola, Director of Pirelli F1 presents Sprint Pole qualifier Oscar Piastri with his Pirelli Sprint Pole award. Picture:'It came in a completely unexpected way,' he said. 'It came out of the blue and I asked for time to think about it before I realised 'this is Red Bull' and so I rang them back.' As the sprint qualifying began, Verstappen remained in the garage while mechanics worked on his car. It was a minor delay and he was soon on track as Kimi Antonelli spun off at Stavelot in his Mercedes and returned via a deep run in the gravel trap. The Italian was followed by Hamilton who had a big slide off at Stavelot, just managing to stay out of the gravel before going off again at the chicane -- a mechanical problem on his Ferrari wrecking his lap and session. At the top, Verstappen managed to split the two McLarens as he had during the morning practice ahead of Fernando Alonso and George Russell. The two McLarens were first out for SQ2, Piastri once again setting the pace before his lap was deleted because he exceeded track limits at Raidillon, leaving Norris on top. The Australian had to go again as the rest joined the fray, led by Verstappen and Leclerc. A frantic finale ensued with Norris clocking a late fastest lap ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc while Piastri squeezed through in 10th. The Melbourne-native then produced a stunning third lap to secure pole for the following day. Originally published as Belgian F1 Grand Prix: McLaren's Piastri beats Verstappen to claim sprint pole position


The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
UK condemns Hong Kong's reward offers for suspects living in Britain
The UK on Friday condemned Hong Kong authorities for offering payment in exchange for assisting in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in Britain. "The Hong Kong Police Force's issuing of further arrest warrants and bounties on individuals living in the UK is another example of transnational repression," Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement. Hong Kong authorities announced Friday that they are offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 pro-democracy activists based abroad, accused of violating the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. The bounties range from about $25,000 (HK$200,000) to $125,000, depending on the individual Hong Kong seeks. This is the fourth time Hong Kong authorities have made this type of appeal, which has already drawn strong criticism from Western countries, which China in turn has denounced as "interference." In their statement, Lammy and Cooper called on China to stop targeting opposition voices in Britain. Around 150,000 Hong Kong nationals migrated to the UK under a special visa scheme introduced in 2021. But a recent proposal by the British government to reform extradition rules has sparked serious concerns, with some fearing it could pave the way for a resumption of extraditions to Hong Kong, which have been suspended since the 2020 national security law was enacted. In their statement, the two British ministers said "this Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the UK their home. We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously." mhc/gv/sla