My generation faced racism on the pitch, terraces and streets. Today it’s 24/7 digital onslaughts

When the England defender Jess Carter revealed she had been subjected to a barrage of racist abuse on social media during the Uefa European Women’s Championship, it exposed a stark reality: the women’s game is thriving on the pitch but remains deeply vulnerable to discrimination and online abuse off it.

Carter’s decision to step away from her social media accounts highlighted her vulnerability and she received support from England’s head coach, Sarina Wiegman, her teammates and the Football Association. Within hours of her statement, the FA had engaged UK police and begun collaboration with social media companies to trace those responsible – demonstrating an impressively swift and decisive response. In October 2023, the Online Safety Act became law, ensuring social media platforms have a duty to protect users from content such as racist abuse. Platforms have a responsibility to identify and remove harmful content including all forms of hate speech, with Ofcom responsible for enforcing the legislation.

At its core, the fight against racism in football is also a struggle for social justice and human rights. Women constitute 50% of the UK population – collectively a formidable constituency capable of driving cultural change. The unwavering support shown by Wiegman, her backroom staff and the Lionesses squad for Carter illustrates how leadership and community can create a “safe space” for victims, affirming that togetherness is a powerful counterweight to hatred. But solidarity must extend beyond England’s camp.

In February the Jamaica international and Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw endured similarly vile online attacks despite her status as a role model in the Women’s Super League and her homeland. The strength of condemnation that followed from club, teammates and fans alike showed that confronting prejudice is vital.

The nature of abuse has evolved. My generation often faced racist abuse face-to-face: on the pitch, on the terraces, on the streets. Today’s players endure 24/7 digital onslaughts. Yet the principle is unchanged: those responsible must be pursued with every conceivable vigour, subjected to the most serious sanctions available and denied any refuge in anonymity. Zero tolerance cannot be a slogan – it must be a legal and cultural imperative.

View image in fullscreen Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw has been the target of online abusers. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Allowing racism to normalise in the women’s game would betray the game’s remarkable growth. As grassroots participation surges, welcoming girls of all ethnicities and backgrounds, the duty of care to protect them – and to provide clear pathways into coaching and administration – is paramount for long-term sustainability. We must learn from the men’s game, where three generations of potential coaches and executives were lost. Despite Black players accounting for 43% of Premier League and 34% of EFL squads, only 4.4% of coaches and 1.6% of administrators reflect that diversity, according to research by the Black Footballers’ Partnership. Such underrepresentation is deeply concerning.

Professional football clubs’ charitable arms already harness the sport’s reach to challenge racial and gender discrimination across society. Equality and inclusion training must be mandatory across all sectors. The highly regarded inclusion training at Charlton Athletic, where I am the vice-chair, exemplifies this, providing powerful insights that promote inclusion and respect. To future-proof the next generation, anti-discrimination and anti-racism education should also be woven into the national curriculum.

Racism in football casts a long, damaging shadow. It is deep-rooted and corrodes society. As the Lionesses rightly demand: “Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.”

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The racist abuse directed at Carter intensifies the urgent need for stronger accountability measures within football, highlighting why the establishment of an independent football regulator through the Football Governance Act, which received royal assent this week, is so critical.

Her experience highlights the need for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded not only in club culture but the governance frameworks that shape football’s future.

Paul Elliott CBE was the first Black captain in the Premier League and sits on Uefa’s human rights board

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