Khadija Shaw: Sometimes you have to take a step back and think about your mental health'

"It's difficult, says Khadija Bunny' Shaw. Sometimes you have to take a step back and think about you and your mental health because if you're not in a good place you won't be able to perform. I wasn't in a good place. It was about more than what happened in that match. There's a lot that people didn't and don't know about."

"The Jamaica international wants to see more done to protect players, particularly female players, who don't have the same levels of security or representatives to run social media accounts for them as male players do. There needs to be a lot more accountability as well because we can only talk for so much, says Shaw. We can do our actions on the pitch but if it's the same cycle of abuse over and over again then they'll feel they can always get away with it."

Khadija Bunny Shaw withdrew from Manchester City's League Cup semi-final against Arsenal after suffering horrific racist abuse four days earlier following a 4-3 Women's Super League defeat to the same opponent. Manchester City reported the abuse to the police and described it as appalling. Shaw cited mental-health reasons for withdrawal and described not being in a good place, crediting family and friends for support during a difficult period. The player called for stronger protection and accountability for players, especially female players who often lack dedicated security or representatives for managing social media. Full details of the abuse remain withheld for now.

Read at www.theguardian.com