England head coach Sarina Wiegman has offered an explanation for leaving defender Jess Carter out of the starting XI for tonight’s Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy.
Carter announced on Monday that she was stepping away from social media after receiving ‘a lot’ of racial abuse online following England’s quarter-final victory against Sweden.
Before the match, Wiegman revealed that Carter would be available to play against Italy, while also condemning the ‘disgusting and vile’ racism directed at her player.
But on the night, the 27-year-old was nowhere to be seen in the starting lineup, with Wiegman citing tactical decisions rather than the aforementioned racist abuse.
Prior to the semi-final, Carter had started every game in the tournament. In her place against Italy, Wiegman opted to start Esme Morgan at centre back.
When asked if Carter’s exclusion was a footballing decision, the boss said: ‘Yes, that decision is based on the tactical challenges we have and we think in this game it is best to put Esme in.’
Jess Carter was left out of England’s starting XI for their Euro semi-final clash against Italy
Sarina Wiegman cited tactical reasons for Carter’s absence rather than the racist abuse her player opened up about on the weekend
In Carter’s place, 24-year-old Esme Morgan will step in at centre-back, earning her 16th cap
On how Carter is coping, Wiegman replied: ‘Jess is good. Of course a lot of things going on but she is good, she trained well, she’s ready to compete and ready to play.’
Morgan earned her first major tournament start for the Lionesses, and Wiegman revealed that it was a long time coming.
She continued: ‘It is a huge night for everyone, Esme is ready and has been ready for a while, she showed that the other night and I hope she does really well of course.’
Following the abuse towards Carter, the Lionesses later said they would no longer be taking the knee before kick-off.
They argued it was ‘clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism’ and that they would instead aim to create a new statement that sparks ‘conversation and change’.
The decision was backed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who rejoiced at the abandonment of the ‘crazy gesture’, while the FA is also said to be fully supportive.
Taking the knee has been used since the Black Lives Matter movement came to prominence in 2020 to support football’s fight against racism.
But the gesture has been criticised for simply become a tokenistic exercise, designed to show that football cares about the issue without committing to change on a deeper level.
Carter plays for New Jersey-based Gotham FC and has started every game for England so far
The footballing world came together to condemn the abuse Carter received over the last week
England said that they will stop taking the knee and will create a new statement against racism
Nigel Farage rejoiced at the decision to stop taking the knee, which he said is a ‘crazy gesture’
Suggesting that this is now the view of Wiegman’s camp, Lionesses veteran Lucy Bronze told the Telegraph: ‘Is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard?’
Alex Greenwood, in answer to those questions, admitted: ‘There’s maybe a feeling that it has lost its power’.
The footballing world joined together in condemning the abuse Carter has received, with the police even being brought in to work with the FA over ensuring those ‘responsible for the hate crime are brought to justice’.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said they ‘immediately contacted police’ following Carter’s abuse and that their ‘priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs.’
Meanwhile, in response, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘There is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society.’
