Lotte Wubben-Moy quits social media in protest at racist abuse | OneFootball

Lotte Wubben-Moy has called out the failure of social media companies to protect players, after England teammate Jess Carter was racially abused during the Euros in Switzerland.

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Wubben-Moy issued a statement condemning the repeat pattern of abuse seen at major tournaments and confirmed she would leave social media in protest.

“Another tournament goes by where we see the same disgusting racist abuse. It is unacceptable for any person to be subject to this or any kind of abuse,” she said. “The issue goes beyond sport. But what is being done about it? On the very platforms we post on? I will not continue to feed the very platform that enables abuse with no consequence.”

Prompting Wubben-Moy’s statement, teammate Carter had said: “From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. While I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don’t agree or think it’s OK to target someone’s appearance or race. As a result of this I will be taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with.”

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The Lionesses released a joint statement: “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 is 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.”

Lucy Bronze said: “It was driven by the group – obviously certain individuals more than others. I think it was just the fact that we feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard? Because to us it feels like it’s not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives.”

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The FA has contacted UK police. CEO Mark Bullingham said: “As soon as we were made aware of the racist abuse Jess received, we immediately contacted UK police. They are in touch with the relevant social media platform, and we are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.”

Kick It Out, Keir Starmer, UEFA, and Gotham FC all voiced support, with the player’s club stating: “We are heartbroken and outraged by the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter. Jess is not only a world-class football player – she is a role model, a leader and a valued part of our Gotham FC family. At Gotham, we believe in a culture of mutual respect and remain committed to building a game – and a community – where everyone feels safe, respected and celebrated. There is no place for racism in our sport. We stand with Jess, and we deeply appreciate the support for Jess from the Lionesses and England’s Football Association as they compete at the UEFA Women’s Championship.”

Carter added: “Hopefully, speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won’t have to deal with it. We have made some historic changes with this Lionesses squad that I am so proud to be a part of and my hope is that by speaking out about this it will make another positive change for all.”