Carter: Relief over missed Euros penalties, James wasn’t the only one

Jess Carter, a prominent footballer, shared her feelings after the penalty shootout that secured England’s place in the final of the Women’s European Championship. Carter revealed that she felt a “sigh of relief” upon seeing that Lauren James was not the only player to miss a penalty against Sweden. The player, who was the target of racist online attacks during the tournament, feared that James would suffer “astronomical” harassment on social media if she had been the only one to miss the penalty. In the match, Beth Mead, Alex Greenwood, and Grace Clinton also missed their penalties. Despite this, the Lionesses managed to advance and ultimately won the final against Spain, also in a penalty shootout.

It’s horrible to say, but it’s almost like a sigh of relief when other non-black players missed a penalty, because the racism that would have come with LJ [Lauren James] being the only one to miss would have been astronomical.

Jess Carter

Carter explained the reason for this relief, highlighting the additional burden faced by Black players in high-pressure situations. An example of this was what happened to Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, who were subjected to racist abuse after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

Carter also revealed the psychological impact of the abuse she suffered during the tournament, which made her feel “scared” when coach Sarina Wiegman selected her to play in the final. Carter admitted that fear invaded her, even before entering the field. She also mentioned the fear of racial abuse she could receive, which led her to question her actions. Carter described how the abuse made her feel insignificant and question everything she did, affecting her confidence in the field. Her family also felt devastated. The Football Association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, reported that the organization had reported the “abhorrent” abuse to the UK police.