UK Police arrest man in connection to racist abuse sent to Jess Carter at Euro 2025 | OneFootball

Gotham FC defender Jess Carter was racially abused while playing for England at Euro 2025 this summer

A 59-year-old man has been arrested in Lancashire in connection to racist abuse aimed at Gotham FC’s Jess Carter.

The police will now undergo a further investigation into the abuse on Carter, with the accused male released while the investigation continues.

Justice for Jess Carter

While playing for the Lionesses at Euro 2025, Gotham FC defender Jess Carter was subject to online racial abuse.

The 27-year-old revealed during the tournament that she received hate online and was forced to step away from all social media to avoid the disgusting messages.

England decided to stop taking the knee out of solidarity for Carter following the abuse.

A man from Great Harwood in Lancashire who remains unnamed has been arrested in connection to the racism.

Cheshire chief constable Mark Roberts of the National Police Chief Council said: “The messages directed towards Jess Carter were appalling and I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation.

“Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and I expect that today’s arrest will be the first of many over the coming months.

“We want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated. Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and we want to ensure offenders cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments.”

Carter continued to play through the hate and the defender played a key role in England’s success in Switzerland.

Although she played in the remainder of the tournament following the abuse, Carter missed out on England’s trophy parade in London as she decided to return to Gotham FC.

What did Jess Carter say on abuse?

After she was abused against Sweden in the Euro 2025 quarter-final, Carter said: “From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. Whilst 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.

“As ever I am grateful for all of the support from the genuine fans but I am taking this measure to protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can. Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won’t have to deal with it.”

Carter only featured off the bench in England’s semi-final following the abuse, but she said that the overwhelming support from fans gave her confidence to play the rest of the tournament.

The defender played every minute in the final as England beat Spain to win back to back European Championships.