Women's football has grown incredibly in the last few years in every way imaginable: exposure, attendance in stadiums, investments, even the creation of new competitions. The only possible downside of this growth is that, as women's football grows, the worst traits of the sport also grow.
"The bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are, but the more critics there are", said Lucy Bronze, England defender, who scored two decisive goals in the quarter-final match against Sweden last week, after her teammate Jess Carter said that she has been receiving racial abuse, stepping back from social media.
"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", the 27-year-old player from Gotham FC said.
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Carter's message had repercussions above football: Primer Minister Keir Starmer said that "There is no place for racism in football or anywhere in society" and offered their support to Jess, the Lionesses "and any players who have suffered racism, on and off the pitch". UEFA also stepped in, saying that "abuse and discrimination should never be tolerated", while the Football Association confirmed they were working with the police.
"We're obviously open to critics - that's why we love the sport - but we're not open to abuse. Especially in women's football, the online abuse seems to be getting worse and worse", said her teammate Bronze (via BBC), thinking that there are differences with the racist abuse men suffer: men usually suffer in stadiums, but women are the target online.