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Former England footballer Fara Williams has spoken out about the sexist and homophobic abuse she has suffered online, saying she’s been told to “get back in the kitchen”. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, the ex-midfielder turned football pundit said trolls question her knowledge of the sport, telling her she knows “nothing about the game”. The 39-year-old, who is England’s most capped player, said the online abuse is “definitely sexist” and gets worse and is “more aggressive” when she is reporting on men’s football rather than the women’s game. “When I’m doing punditry in a women’s game, the percentages in terms of the abuse you get is really, really minimal compared to when as a female, I talk on the men’s game as a pundit,” Williams said. “The abuse heightens and it’s more aggressive, more direct. Definitely more abusive.” The football commentator said she thought “jealousy” was “probably one of the main things” which drives people to perpetrate online abuse. She said many people think trolls are people who you are “really close to”, adding: “You get trolled by people that you think are your friends and they are the ones that know the most about you.” The former Lioness said she is able to cope with the online hate because she has a “thick skin”, but her ability to handle abuse could potentially change if the harassment were to ramp up. The “daily” abuse suffered by footballers she used to play with who are now prominent in the media is “not acceptable”, she stated. Ms Williams added: “I’ve seen a change in them as people because of social media – close friends that have really been affected by some of the awful abuse that they get online.” She said: “If you are bombarded with abuse daily, at some point it will affect your mental health, whether you think you are strong headed or not.” Ms Williams said: “As I said, I’m quite strong headed now, but there is nothing to say that if I was to be absolutely bombarded with abuse on a daily basis, that couldn’t change how I start to think and see myself.” Her friends are targeted with “horrific abuse” for simply “having an opinion in a workplace that they are supposed to have an opinion in”, she added. Discussing homophobic online abuse, she said: “I’m sure they’re aware that there are a lot of gay people within the women’s game, and it’s easy for them to drop a comment in.” Ms Williams, a member of Hope United, a team of footballers committed to tackling online sexist hate, reflected on whether the abuse she endures would worsen if her punditry for men’s football ramps up. "They could talk about the way I talk, the way I look, the way I sound,” she added. “Who I think I am.” Ms Williams said she hoped abuse on social media would improve when the online safety bill is rolled out as a change in the law would make people “accountable” for their comments. The legislation, which aims to tackle hate speech, cyberbullying, and disinformation, is in its final stages in parliament and would see social media companies also held accountable for abuse published on their sites. The ex-footballer attended a roundtable meeting at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday to demonstrate her backing for proposed changes to the online safety bill, which would boost the online protection of women and girls. “For me, social media has become a fantasy world where you can do whatever you want and get away with it without any consequences,” Ms Williams said. Turning her attention to the World Cup kiss saga, she said it was “disappointing” that it “took so long” to be dealt with. Her comments come after the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales has come under sustained criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain secured their 1-0 win over England last month. Rubiales, who was also condemned for grabbing his crotch after Spain won the women’s world title for the first time in history, refused to step down over his behaviour but was suspended by Fifa. He eventually resigned as president on Sunday, after weeks of pressure, after Hermoso filed a legal complaint. Jorge Vilda, head coach of Spain’s women’s team, was fired last week after he was among those who praised Rubiales’ refusal to step down. “It’s the only thing that’s been spoken about when Spain were phenomenal in the World Cup and these women should be celebrated,” she added. “For me, it’s a celebration of their success and I think that’s been forgotten and the girls probably haven’t been able to celebrate.” Discussing Rubiales, she said: “I think the right thing has been done now. He stepped away from it. He still hasn’t apologised.” Read More Fara Williams: England’s most-capped footballer announces retirement England winning Euro 2022 ‘a real proud moment’ for ex-midfielder Fara Williams Jill Scott says World Cup kiss saga ‘overshadowed’ Spanish women’s team playing ‘great football’ Lioness Demi Stokes says misogynistic abuse online ‘really affected’ England players’ game ‘History in the making’: Lionesses’ Euros success sparks booming interest in women’s football Women’s sport is bigger and better than ever in 2023 – rundown of the best in the calendar

Euro 2022 winner Jill Scott has voiced “disappointment” that the World Cup kiss saga has detracted attention from the Spanish women’s team win. The former England midfielder told The Independent that issues within Spanish football have “overshadowed” the team’s “great football”. Her comments come after the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales has come under sustained criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain secured their 1-0 win over England last month. Rubiales, who was also condemned for grabbing his crotch after Spain won the women’s world title for the first time in history, has refused to step down over his behaviour but was suspended by Fifa. It comes as Jorge Vilda, head coach of Spain's women’s team, was fired on Tuesday after he was among those who praised Rubiales’ refusal to step down. Scott said she felt “disappointment” that the kiss has been “the main talking point”, rather than Spain actually winning the World Cup. “I know that there were girls that decided not to go to the World Cup because they weren’t happy with the way things were going. And that for me is just so sad to hear because it’s a dream to play in a World Cup. “I was so fortunate that I got to do that four times, and it’s something that you dream of from being a young girl, and to think that was taken away from them. First and foremost, that is sad.” Speaking to The Independent in a wide-ranging interview, the Lioness also discussed the bullying she endured as a young girl playing football at school. She said people often thought she was a boy because she played football and questioned how girls could play the game. The 36-year-old said it was “unusual” to see girls playing football back then and said she sometimes suffered worse bullying from parents rather than her classmates. “Sometimes for parents, if a young girl back then – I’m going back 30 years – beat their son, it was a bit of an embarrassment,” she added. Scott said she would attend football camps where she was the one girl alongside 50 boys, as well as going to football tournaments where she was the only girl. The former footballer said even though she was better at football than some of the boys she “never wanted special treatment for being a girl”. Scott added: “I just wanted to play football and as a young kid, I didn't understand why it was such an issue that I just wanted to play football.” She continued: “Once I stepped over that white line, that was where I wanted to be. I could escape everything.” Her comments come as new research by Starling Bank found three in 10 girls stop playing football when they get to their late teenage years – a far higher proportion than the one in ten boys who give up the sport. Researchers, who polled 2,000 11 to 16-year-olds in the UK, found that over a quarter of girls quit football over pressures to perform well at school. Meanwhile, 14 per cent stop playing because of insecurities about their body image and eight per cent bow out of football for being bullied for playing the game. Scott, who is an ambassador for the bank, said social media pressure was partly to blame as it puts pressure on girls to make them feel like they should look a particular way. “It’s kind of this perfect world isn't it, in a sense,” she reflected. “And I think we're all guilty of doing it. We don't want to post a picture unless you look good or if it’s filtered.” Scott explained she has coached football to girls aged between 13 and 15 and you can see they do not want to get “stuck into a tackle” or do not “want to get sweaty” due to anxiety about how they will look. Read More Spanish FA chief blames player for World Cup kiss and shouts ‘I am not resigning!’ in chaotic press conference Spanish soccer federation fires women's national team coach Jorge Vilda amid Rubiales controversy ‘He wasn’t raping her’: Woody Allen offers staggering defence of Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales ‘History in the making’: Lionesses’ Euros success sparks booming interest in women’s football Lioness Demi Stokes says misogynistic abuse online ‘really affected’ England players’ game

England has made it through to the first World Cup final since 1966 after the women's football team defeated Australia today - and calls are now mounting for a bank holiday if the Lionesses take home the trophy this weekend. Labour and the Liberal Democrats, as well as Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegman, have all backed the idea of an additional day off if England beat Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday. But the government has poured cold water on the prospect, saying an extra bank holiday is not currently in its plans. Downing Street said it will find the “right way to celebrate” if the Lionesses are triumphant. Prime minister Rishi Sunak congratulated the team on beating Australia earlier on Wednesday, posting on social media: “What a performance @Lionesses. Just one more game to go... Bring on Sunday.” Sir Keir wrote: “It’s almost 60 years since England won the World Cup. I’m never complacent about anything… but there should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home.” Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo gave England a 3-1 win on Wednesday. The UK had two extra bank holidays last year – one for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and another for her funeral – and there was a third in May this year for King Charles’s coronation. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The Lionesses have made history by reaching the final – they are an inspiration to athletes across the country already. “Winning the World Cup would be a phenomenal achievement. It absolutely deserves to be celebrated with a bank holiday.” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said if the Lionesses won, the government should “do the right thing”, adding: “It would be mean-spirited not to do so.” Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha told Channel 4 News that if the men’s team won the World Cup, there would be a holiday, adding: “So it deserves some kind of marking, it deserves some kind of national holiday definitely or something.” A petition on the parliament website asking for a bank holiday states: “I’d like the government to declare a bank holiday for all workers in the United Kingdom. Then we can celebrate in the achievements of England’s football team.” However, polls on social media showed nearly 60 per cent of voters were opposed to a bank holiday marking a win. Some users said England could not afford another bank holiday with the economy struggling. Others accused Sir Keir of populism, and one small business owner said they had had “more and enough bank holidays to put up with this year”. One, called Damon, posted: “If we can have a bank holiday for some old bloke getting a crown put on his head, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have one if England win the World Cup.” A government spokesperson said: “Winning the World Cup would be a massive moment for the country and make no mistake we’ll find the right way to celebrate. “As Sarina Wiegman herself has said, the first thing to do is focus on the final and the whole country will be rooting for the Lionesses this weekend.” Earlier, No 10 told the BBC: “The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change this.” A 2010 Commons library report said the then government estimated an additional bank holiday would cost the UK economy £2.9bn. Official figures released last month showed it contracted in May after businesses downed tools for the coronation. Gross domestic product fell by 0.1 per cent for the month, after increasing by 0.2 per cent in April, the Office for National Statistics said. Read More With one sublime pass, the Lionesses have unlocked the door to football Narnia Royals lead cheers for Lionesses as they reach first World Cup final Lionesses celebrate reaching World Cup final – Wednesday’s sporting social Mediterranean lifestyle cuts chances of premature death, study suggests Calls for a bank holiday if Lionesses win World Cup final Number of hospital appointments cancelled due to strikes nears one million

A man has died after being injured at the construction site where Everton FC are building their new stadium. The 26 year-old victim, a worker on the development, was involved in an “incident” at the Bramley Moore Dock site in Liverpool at around lunchtime. A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a man has died after an incident at Bramley Moore Dock this afternoon. At around 1pm it was reported that a man, aged 26, had been injured. “He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been told and an investigation is under way.” A spokesperson for the club said they were ‘heartbroken’ by the unnamed individual’s death. Everton FC said: “Everyone at Everton Football Club is heartbroken by the news a male worker has died following an incident at the Everton Stadium site at Bramley-Moore Dock. “The thoughts and condolences of everyone connected with Everton are with his family, friends, and colleagues at this unimaginably sad time. “Stadium contractor Laing O’Rourke has immediately launched an investigation and will work with the police and the Health and Safety Executive to establish the full details of the incident.” Work began on the new stadium two years ago, as part of a £500 million waterside scheme in the city. A spokesperson for contractors Laing O’Rourke said: “We can confirm that earlier today a member of our team, who was carrying out work for one of our sub-contractors, was seriously injured in an incident. He was taken to hospital via ambulance, where he sadly died. “We are shocked and saddened by today’s tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased man and our wider project team. “The police and the Health and Safety Executive are on site and we have suspended work until further notice. We will cooperate fully with any investigation that follows.” Read More Cook says Australian mushroom deaths were ‘accidental’: ‘I had no reason to hurt people I love’ Couple whose husky mauled their baby daughter to death allowed to keep pack of dogs Heartbreaking moment Hawaiian broadcaster reveals on air he lost four family members to Maui wildfires RAF jets launched to intercept Russian bombers off coast of UK Bibby Stockholm: A timeline of the government’s controversial migrant accommodation Public support for new Brexit referendum revealed