It wasn’t a great night last night for Tottenham Hotspur. After leading by two goals in the UEFA Super Cup against PSG, Spurs proceeded to concede their lead, before falling in a penalty shootout. It was a disappointing result, but what was worse was the reaction of the more toxic arm of the Spurs fandom, as people in both the stadium and via social media let loose a torrent of abuse towards the players; specifically, Mathys Tel, who was the victim of a deluge of racist slurs.
The club, via their website and social media channels, have released a statement in response:
In the strongly worded statement, the club calls out the abusers as cowards (which they are) and pledges to work with authorities and social media platforms to clamp down on said racist cowards - at least, as far as the law allows.
I’m probably not the person who should be covering this. As a straight, white male in my mid-30’s, I have never been the victim of targeted abuse or discrimination for who I am, so it’s hard for me to comprehend just how impactful some of the disgusting attacks spewed by so-called “supporters” of this club (and of course, outside of sports fandom) can be; but I am appalled by the response of these people (though not surprised) while pleasantly surprised the club has chosen to address it head-on, as well as the manner in which they have done so.
Two players missed a penalty in the shoot-out: Tel and Micky van de Ven; and though we can complain about performance and failings on the pitch, shifting from that to tearing down somebody’s identity and person is beyond the pale. Of course, only one player is the target here, and it’s not Micky - though there are a number of comments calling the defender a clown, and criticizing his miss, it’s nothing compared to what Tel has had to endure. It’s pretty obvious why that is.
His teammates have reached out with messages of support as well, notably fellow forward Dominic Solanke:
Here’s hoping he has the support he needs around him, the club continues to back him, and the supporters shower him with love when he turns out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
Keep you head up, Mathys. We’re all behind you.