One of the pioneering sides in marrying football success with social impact has to deal with another off-field issue after the horrendous racist abuse suffered by defender Jess Carter
Around the England camp, there’s a different air. The squad insist they are fully focused on Tuesday’s Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy, but it’s not quite a case of drawing a line under the week’s big story, in the way that often happens in such situations. Certainly for games of this magnitude.
By contrast, many of the players want to use the occasion to draw attention to the stand they’re trying to make. They wanted to “send a message to the world,” in the words of Sarina Wiegman.
The pre-match press conference in Geneva was dominated by discussion of Jess Carter, and her decision to take a “step back” from social media after suffering racist abuse.
Some of the players remain infuriated by it all. Wiegman and Georgia Stanway were fully composed by the time it came to talk, but this wasn’t a case of now setting it all aside.
Stanway explained the rationale behind no longer taking the knee head on, and even addressed some critical discussion that stance has received from some quarters.
“We felt like the knee was just a little bit repetitive,” Stanway said. “We felt like it’s come to a point where the knee isn’t doing what we wanted it to do.”
Wiegman of course backed up her midfielder, stating: “It’s really sad we have to discuss this. It goes beyond football.”
That has generally been true of her team. In what is obviously a transformative era for women’s football, England have been one of the pioneering sides in marrying football success with social impact.
This match might even be a defining occasion in that regard, as England stand on the brink of a third successive final at a Euros or World Cup, and Wiegman herself looks to her fifth.
There is of course an awkward but inevitable question from all that, that does feel a little incongruous given the seriousness of the matter the players are discussing. Football does have to be played, after all.
So, is there any danger of distraction? The feeling from the camp is that there’s no chance of that. They actually look likelier to channel this kind of energy.
“If anything, it’s brought us together as a team,” Stanway said. “Right now, all we can do is show our support, our togetherness.”
This was a theme that Lucy Bronze had driven the previous day.
“We all support Jess, Jess supports the team,” Bronze said. “No matter what we’re all going through, we’re all able to do that and I think we’ve shown that whether it’s something going on at home, deaths of parents, to racism, to homophobia, this team stands up and speaks out.
“We all support each other through it all, and whilst we’re doing that we’re still successful as a football team and I think that’s what gives us this platform to be able to speak out and to push even more.”
Stanway even had a phrase for it: “The power of the Lionesses.”
That’s where there is a different air, and another shift.
Stanway admitted that this tournament has been “a rollercoaster”. It’s not just gone up and down, however, but also back and forth.
England have looked assured in one moment, and uncertain the next. It just hasn’t been convincing in terms of performance. They’ve only played well against inferior opposition, in the Netherlands and Wales.
Against France and Sweden, they didn’t just toil. A potential blueprint to beat England was even more evident. These are problems that have been growing for a while, going back to before the 2023 World Cup.
England struggle to play when Keira Walsh is pressed, and struggle to defend when facing proper pace and livewire attacks. Worse, Wiegman hasn’t yet figured out any solutions to this, other than in-game adaptations that change the momentum of matches rather than actually address the tactics.
Hence the importance of Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang against Sweden. Wiegman admitted their impact adds to her “headaches”, but that also points to the logic of maybe keeping them on the bench. They can then be unleashed.
On that other major selection story, Leah Williamson trained on the eve of the match after recovering from an ankle injury, and wants to play.
Italy, it must be acknowledged, don’t have anywhere near the quality of France or Sweden. Unlike those sides, however, they are here, in the semi-finals.
Part of that might be a kind draw, but it’s also because of their own resolve, as well as a tactical canniness under manager Andrea Soncin. That was witnessed in the trouble they gave Spain in that crucial final group game. It might have been a Spain with six changes, but one of those Aitana Bonmati, and Italy went in needing a result. Events changed that but they also saw Italy become the only side to actually take the lead against Spain.
Soncin spoke after that about how he’s enjoying the greatest days of his life, reflecting the emotional momentum that has built around this team. You only have to look at the form of Cristiana Girelli, who struck twice in that quarter-final against Norway.
They also have a social momentum all of their own, since they’re on the brink of a final just three years after being permitted to turn professional.
If that fosters the sense of one of those teams that has done superbly to get this far and is unlikely to have more, it goes without saying that Wiegman won’t let England think like that.
“We might be favourites,” the manager said, with a considerable “but…”
“I think it would be disrespectful to Italy to think we are favourites.”
The team are instead thinking of bigger things as well as how they can rise above it all. That is most true of Carter.
“She’s ready to perform,” Wiegman said. “We’re ready to perform.”
England are ready for more, in so many senses.
Category: General Sports
