Euro 2025: England coach Wiegman says Jess Carter is ready for semifinal despite online abuse
Defending champion England plays Italy on Tuesday, two days after Carter, who is Black, revealed she was subjected to racist abuse this month that was reported to police at home.
'She's ready to perform and to compete. That says also a lot about her and about the team,' Wiegman said at the Geneva stadium.
'Of course, it's really sad that we have to be occupied by this,' the coach added. 'It's ridiculous, it's disgusting what's happening and that goes beyond football.'
England trailed by two goals after a rough first half-hour against Sweden in the quarterfinals in Zurich, then rallied late to level the game. England won a memorably chaotic penalty shootout.
Carter is 'not the only one that gets this abuse or this racism,' Wiegman said, adding her team was ready to send a 'message to the world.'
England midfielder Georgia Stanway said the collective support for Carter 'probably brought us together as a team.'
England players talked about the abuse, Stanway said: 'A few people want to come off social media because they're fed up with it.'
Tournament organizer UEFA, like world soccer body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, try to protect athletes with online platforms that flag up abusive posts reported to social media operators.
UEFA acknowledged last week this strategy has limited success because of the regulations applied by social networks.
'Although it's a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person,' Wiegman said. 'She also felt, and so did we, that we had to address this. You can't just let it go.'
The 27-year-old Carter has played 49 times for England, and came to Euro 2025 after helping her club Gotham FC in New Jersey win the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
Carter's teammates at Gotham include her partner Ann-Katrin Berger, the goalkeeper who was the star of Germany's win over France in the quarterfinals. Germany plays tournament favorite Spain in the other semifinal on Wednesday in Zurich.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
Erik ten Hag says Granit Xhaka ‘too important' for Bayer Leverkusen to ‘let go' amid Sunderland talks
Erik ten Hag has insisted Granit Xhaka is 'too important' for Bayer Leverkusen to allow to leave despite the midfielder informing the club he wants to join Sunderland. The Athletic reported on Tuesday Xhaka, 32, was prioritising a move to Sunderland over other suitors, with an agreement in place between the Switzerland international and the newly-promoted Premier League club. Advertisement Xhaka's agent Jose Noguerra Rodriguez confirmed to German media on Tuesday that there was an agreement between Sunderland and his player, but in response Ten Hag emphasised his desire to keep the midfielder. 'His agent can say whatever he wants, but this club has already let three important players (Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah) go, and we won't let any more go. Granit is a leader, he still has three years left on his contract here.' Ten Hag told reporters during Leverkusen's pre-season tour of Brazil, as quoted by Bild. 'It's clear – Granit is a key player, he signed here for five years and still has three years left on his contract. He's too important to us to let him go.' Xhaka's Leverkusen contract runs until 2028 and the club's sporting managing director Simon Rolfes reiterated his importance to the club, but described any potential departure as a 'three-party' matter. 'I have repeatedly said that Granit is an important leader,' Rolfes said. 'The coach and I agree on that. We are in dialogue with all our players. In the end, it's always a three-party situation. Granit still has a three-year contract — and in principle, there can only be a change if all three sides agree to it. 'Topics like this always cause discussions and conversations. That's why it doesn't shock me.' Xhaka has made 99 appearances for Leverkusen since joining from Arsenal in 2023, helping the club win their first Bundesliga title in 2023-24. Ten Hag was appointed Leverkusen's new head coach earlier this summer, succeeding Xabi Alonso after his move to Real Madrid.
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Golf odds for 2026 majors: Scottie Scheffler early favorite after Open Championship win
The world's No. 1 golfer just won the final major on the golf calendar this year, and betting experts anticipate plenty more big wins on the horizon. Updated odds for the 2026 golf majors are out, and Scottie Scheffler is the familiar name at the top of every list. He is considered the favorite to win every major in 2026 coming off his 2025 Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush, according to BetMGM. It shouldn't be a surprise at this point. Scheffler was also the betting favorite entering all four majors this season. He also won his first PGA Championship in May. Scheffler only needs to win the U.S. Open to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only golfers in the modern era to win the sport's grand slam. 'Any doubts about Scottie Scheffler's British Open pedigree were emphatically squashed by the American at Royal Portrush with an effortless four-shot victory," BetMGM senior trader Matt Wall said. "BetMGM immediately shortened his 2026 Masters price to +400 from +500 and that could still shorten further should he continue to dominate on the PGA Tour. The comparisons with Tiger Woods certainly don't look out of place right now. All the early action is on Scottie to win all four majors at +25000, and he is the favorite in each one right now.' Here's a breakdown of the early odds to win golf's majors in 2026: What are the early odds for golf's 2026 major championships? BetMGM odds as of Tuesday, July 22 2025 RYDER CUP: Dates, format, history, qualifiers for US vs. Europe golf event
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
Wartime Protests in Ukraine Target Zelensky for the First Time
Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday night to protest moves by President Volodymyr Zelensky's government to weaken anticorruption institutions, in the country's first major antigovernment demonstration in 3½ years of war. The protest outside the president's office in central Kyiv, including civilians and soldiers, was the most significant fracture so far in the national unity that has helped Ukraine survive a grueling and bloody fight against a Russian invasion. The government did not immediately make a statement on the gathering. 'My husband is in the trenches and this is not what they are fighting for,' said Kateryna Amelina, 31. 'This could be the destruction of 10 years of work by civil society.' The demonstration, promoted widely on social media, came hours after Ukraine's Parliament, controlled by Mr. Zelensky's party, passed a measure that would strip away the independence of two agencies responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption. Protesters called on Mr. Zelensky to veto the legislation, which would give Ukraine's prosecutor general, appointed by the president, new powers over anticorruption agencies. On Monday, the security services raided the offices of the two agencies, which have been looking into people in Mr. Zelensky's circle, claiming that they had been infiltrated by Russian intelligence. The crowd grew on Tuesday evening as the sun set on a hill just above Maidan Square, where more than a decade ago crowds gathered to protest the corruption of the Kremlin-aligned president at the time, Viktor F. Yanukovych, leading to his ouster. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
