Tottenham Hotspur have condemned the racist abuse directed at forward Mathys Tel on social media following his penalty miss in Wednesday's Uefa Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Tel, who joined the club for £30 million in June, saw his spot-kick saved in the shootout, prompting a wave of abusive comments.
In a statement, Spurs said: 'We are disgusted at the racial abuse Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night’s Uefa Super Cup defeat. Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards – hiding behind anonymous usernames and profiles to spout their abhorrent views.'
The club vowed to work with authorities and social media platforms to identify and take action against those responsible. The incident is the latest in a pattern of online racial abuse targeting footballers, with England defender Jess Carter withdrawing from social media last month after similar abuse during Euro 2025.
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out called for stronger action, stating: 'If you’re a black player, it would be totally understandable to think: “Why would I want to take a penalty?” That’s the state of the game right now and the sad fact is, it’s nothing new.' The charity urged football bodies, authorities and Ofcom to accelerate plans to better protect players.
Despite the defeat, Tottenham showed promise, leading through goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. New signing Mohammed Kudus, lively in attack, said: 'We competed against one of the best teams in the world and showed we can play at that level. It is just [about] staying focused for the whole game.'
