England defender Jess Carter says she will take a step back from social media after experiencing "a lot of racial abuse" during Euro 2025.

In a statement on Sunday, the Lionesses also said they would now stop the anti-racism move of taking a knee before matches, saying it was "clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism".

"From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse," said the 27-year-old Carter.

"While I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don't agree or think it's OK to target someone's appearance or race.

"As a result of this I will be taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with."

Uefa, who organise the Champions League, have announced they have opened an official investigation into claims that Vinicus was racially abused during the match against Benfica.

"A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off between Club Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026," they said.

Oh wow Benfica have claimed a defamation campaign against Prestianni. That's a bold f***ing hill to plant your flag on.

Yeh it is possible that Benfica aren’t a racist club but the player in question could have been racist to Vini Jr.

Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri and Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana have spoken out on social media after both were sent racist abuse following the clubs' Premier League match on Saturday.

Chelsea's French defender Fofana, who was sent off for a second yellow card in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, shared several screenshots of private messages he received on Instagram after the game.

He then posted a message which read: "2026, it's still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished.

"You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything."

Earlier Burnley's Tunisia international Mejbri shared an image of an offensive message on Instagram and in another post wrote: "It's 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please."

Chelsea said they were "appalled and disgusted" by the "vile" abuse, saying it was "abhorrent and will not be tolerated".

In a statement they added: "Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club. There is no room for racism.

"We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who are too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job. We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action."

Burnley said they were "disgusted" by the abuse, adding in a statement: "The club has reported the post to Instagram's parent company, Meta, and expects strong support from them, together with the Premier League and the police, and will work to ensure that the individual responsible is identified and investigated.

"There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.

"The club continues to be unequivocal in its stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.

"Hannibal will receive the full backing from the club and from the Burnley fans, who we have already seen condemning the abuse. There is no room for racism."