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The racial abuse committed by defender Jess Carter has overshadowed England’s preparations for their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy on Tuesday.

Players have been required to unite around Carter to show their support while ensuring that they continue to fight for their European titles.

Will whether Carter will start will be one of the decisions Wiegman will have to take into account as England attempt to reach a third successive major tournament final after a difficult few days.

The weaknesses in defense that England’s tournament have exposed, along with France and Sweden’s slow pace, have become a constant theme.

In an effort to resolve the issue, Carter has alternated positions three times: as a right-sided centre-back, left-back, and left-back.

In the win over Sweden, defender Esme Morgan impressed when she came off the bench, while center-back Alex Greenwood also switched from center-back to full-back.

With Morgan vying for the starting spot, Wiegman may choose to protect Carter in the wake of the racial abuse.

Jess is a strong person who wants to move on despite the difficult circumstances. She felt that we should address this as well. You can’t just let go, Wiegman said.

She is prepared to perform and compete because we are aware that a match is taking place and that we are prepared to play. That speaks highly of her and the team.

Because many players can play right away, we always get headaches. The team is so strong because of it.

Leah Williamson’s availability was also questioned after she was seen wearing protective boots and crutches on Thursday.

However, Wiegman confirmed that Williamson had recovered from a broken ankle and that she was currently training.

She has done everything possible to recover from her injuries, and she really wants to play. She is present, Wiegman added.

In their win over Sweden, England overcame a two-goal deficit to reach the Euros, becoming the first team to advance from a knockout tie.

Italy has thus far opened the scoring in each of their four games.

Can England put a strong defensive display on display and remove the cobwebs?

British forward Beth Mead told BBC Sport, “I’d like to think we’ve got all the wobbles out of the way.”

In their seventh Euros semi-final, England have won seven of their previous ten games against Italy.

They have advanced from two of the previous three, while their rivals, Italy, who are ranked 13th overall, are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1997.

England will now be considered favorites for Tuesday’s game, but Wiegman is reluctant to acknowledge that.

She said, “It would be disrespectful to assume that we are the favorites.”

They reached the semi-finals exactly like ours, which is very impressive for any team. The biggest mistake you could make is complacency.

You have witnessed their performance. There is no way for us to consider ourselves favorites, in my opinion. To succeed, we must be at our best.

England’s semi-final appearance has become an “expectation,” according to defender Alex Greenwood, who spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live.

We have set those standards, in my opinion, to the point where they now exceed those standards. We’re extremely proud of that accomplishment, she continued.

England “thrive under pressure,” according to Mead, while Brighton midfielder Fran Kirby acknowledged that Italy are “definitely the underdogs.”

Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live, “I believe everyone knows that from the outside.”

“On the other hand, Italy will have seen England’s performances and believed there was a chance there as well because they are confident in their ability to score goals.”

Although the world’s first women’s soccer league was founded in 1968, the Italian team’s domestic game only recently advanced to a full professional level.

The national team never fell below the 19th position in the world rankings from 2003 to 2015, but they did not manage to win four World Cups in a row.

What kind of challenge will Italy face against England on Tuesday at 20:00 BST?

They “have a never-say-die attitude,” they claim. They are a very aggressive, difficult team to play against, Mead said.

They have a personal quality and can be frustrating.

They’re going to be very much up for it, and I know it’s going to be a tough game. They and we both have evidence to support this.

“We’re the defending champions, but we’ve got to go out there and put in a performance.” To defeat this Italian team, we must be in the race.

England has won recent meetings favorably.

In a friendly a year later, Wiegman’s team suffered a 5-1 defeat after winning the Arnold Clark Cup by 2-1 in February 2023.

However, Italy has a star player in Cristiana Girelli, who has already scored three goals in the tournament so far.

Kirby continued, “I think both teams will be confident going into the game for various reasons.”

Steph Houghton, the former England captain, stated on BBC Radio 5 Live that she is “really confident” that they can reach a third successive major final.

We can have a lot of confidence in how we defeated Sweden. More of a semi-final was involved. Houghton added, “It’s an amazing opportunity for us.”

England cannot afford to be the same as Sweden and Italy, according to Kirby, who said the two countries were “very expansive” in comparison.

Every second ball, we were losing. With their pace, Sweden killed us in the transitional moments, while Italy plays similarly, Kirby added.

England must concentrate on the Italian opponent’s side. However, I don’t believe that Italy is as strong as Sweden.

Nedum Onuoha, a former defender for Manchester City, thinks that England has shown that they can handle the biggest situations.

It’s difficult to reject their convictions. He claimed that they have accomplished everything necessary to get them to this point.

We witnessed Sweden suffer, but they eventually found a way to make it very uncomfortable.

Football fans have hailed a “historic moment” for English football after a bill to establish an independent football regulator became law.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the bill was a “proud and defining moment for English football” and will usher in a “stronger, fairer future” for the game.

“This is an historic moment for football in this country,” said Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) chief executive Kevin Miles.

The Football Governance Act will grant powers to a body that is independent from government and football authorities.

It received Royal Assent on Monday, which means it has passed into law and establishes the regulator to oversee the men’s game in England’s top five divisions.

The regulator was a recommendation of a fan-led review into the game and a similar bill was introduced in March 2024 by the then Conservative government, but it failed to pass through Parliament before a general election was called in May. The Labour government reintroduced the bill four months later.

The regulator will be launched later this year. The government said the football industry would be consulted before changes are brought into force.

“Our landmark Football Governance Act delivers on the promise we made to fans. It will protect the clubs they cherish, and the vital role they play in our economy,” Starmer added.

As well as improving financial sustainability across the football pyramid, the regulator will also stop clubs from joining breakaway competitions, like the attempted European Super League proposal in 2021, which was roundly condemned by fans.

In its passage through Parliament, there was opposition from some Conservatives. West Ham United vice chair Karren Brady told the House of Lords there were “dangers lurking” in the bill, arguing it would affect competition. The Premier League was also critical of the need for a regulator.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This is a huge moment for football fans because we’ve had far too many clubs including mine, Wigan Athletic, at risk from poor ownership and finances.

Nandy highlighted some of the future changes supporters will see, now the bill has been passed into law.

“For fans like Sheffield Wednesday, who I spoke to at the start of this journey, it will mean you can’t have the colours changed without fans being in the room and part of the decision-making process,” she said.

“For Wimbledon supporters it will mean your stadium can’t be relocated without you having a say. It will put fans back in the rooms where decisions are made, it will mean all clubs have to reach the standard of the best clubs.”

English Football League (EFL) chairman Rick Parry said the bill is a “watershed moment in the history of English football” and would mean clubs could “rise and fall through the pyramid without the threat of financial catastrophe”.

The IFR could also help the EFL and Premier League reach an agreement on a new funding deal, which Parry says is currently “destabilising, ever widening, and deeply unfair” .

Kieran Maguire, Associate Professor in Football Finance at University of Liverpool, said the legislation will protect clubs from “exploitation”, and the IFR is a necessary safeguard to ensure clubs “are not treated solely as assets”.

Miles said the FSA will work with the IFR to ensure fans’ voices remain “at the forefront of the debate”.