England Lioness Jess Carter has admitted she was “relieved” when some of her white team-mates missed their spot kicks in her country’s Euro 2025 quarter-final victory over Sweden last month because it may have saved Lauren James from being subjected to racist abuse. The shootout ultimately saw nine players miss their penalties as England clinched victory before going on to defeat Spain in the final.
“It’s horrible to say but it’s almost like a sigh of relief when other players that weren’t black missed a penalty, because the racism that would have come with LJ (Lauren James) being the only one that missed would have been astronomical,” Carter told ITV News.
“It’s not because we want them to fail… it’s about knowing how it’s going to be for us (England’s black players) if we miss.”
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