England defender Jess Carter says she did not want to leave her hotel room after receiving racist messages online during Euro 2025.
Earlier this month, Nigel Dewale, 60, pleaded guilty to sending abusive posts to 28-year-old Carter’s TikTok account during the tournament, which defending champions England went on to win.
The messages included a derogatory reference to Carter’s race and suggested people with brown skin were “murderers” and “groomers”.
The former Birmingham City and Chelsea centre-back also said she feels the abuse female players are dealing with “is getting worse”.
Carter, who now plays for Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States, said at the time she had to take a step back from social media because she had experienced “a lot of racial abuse” from the start of the tournament.
“I didn’t want to leave the hotel in case those people who were saying those things where going to be in Switzerland with us,” Carter told BBC Sport.
“It was quite a scary time. It totally devalues you as a human being.”
More to follow.