The international anti-discrimination body for football, Fare, has raised concerns over England's decision to cease taking the knee before Euro 2025 matches. This move comes in response to defender Jess Carter being subjected to racist abuse on social media.
On Sunday, the Lionesses announced they would discontinue the anti-racism gesture as it was "clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism". The Football Association (FA) is reportedly fully supportive of this decision and aligns with the squad's view that a new approach is necessary.
Fare's executive director Piara Powar expressed disappointment at England's stance. He also called on Ofcom, the regulator, to take action against social media platforms that allow such abuse.
Fare's executive director, Piara Powar, said:
"The players have taken a decision to stop taking the knee, which is their right. I personally don't see the link between the two. The taking of the knee is a powerful anti-racist act and this England team have shown leadership across Europe in taking it for so long.
"Powerful actions are needed right now, to deal with the issues that are being played out as we speak. The racial abuse of Jess Carter highlights again how toxic some social media users are. It also raises the question of responsibility of these platforms in identifying and removing harmful content like racism."
Timely test?
Powar pointed out that this incident serves as a timely test for October 2023’s Online Safety Act which mandates social media platforms protect users from content promoting racism, death threats and calls for violence.
Piara Powar added:
"The act came into force in autumn and Ofcom gained powers to enforce it in March. There doesn't seem any public information available on action taken against these platforms thus far."
A spokesman for United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) confirmed receiving a complaint regarding racist abuse directed at Jess Carter.
"We treat all reports of hate crime extremely seriously," he stated. "We're working closely with Jess Carter's family and social media providers including Meta and X, to identify those responsible for the messages."
The incident involving Jess Carter has reignited the debate on racism in sports and the role of social media platforms in propagating such abuse. As England's football team seeks new ways to combat racism, regulatory bodies like Ofcom are being urged to enforce laws designed to protect users from harmful content. The effectiveness of these measures remains a topic of ongoing discussion among sports fans and sports betting fans alike.
