Spurs condemn 'cowards' for racially abusing Tel

Tel came on as a substitute in the 79th minute

Tottenham say they are "disgusted" by the racial abuse received by forward Mathys Tel following their defeat by Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup.

The north London club, who lost 4-3 on penalties after letting slip a two-goal lead, said people who had sent abusive messages to Tel on social media were "nothing but cowards".

Tel, 20, came on as a substitute in the 79th minute and was one of two Spurs players who failed to convert from the spot in the penalty shootout.

"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," Tottenham said.

"We will work with the authorities and social media platforms to take the strongest possible action against any individual we are able to identify.

"We stand with you, Mathys."

Posting on social media, Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke called the abuse "pathetic", adding: "Will it ever stop? Anyone can miss a penalty. Big up bro for taking one."

Spurs' statement comes after England defender Jess Carter revealed she had been the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025 last month.

As a result, the Lionesses stopped the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches as they argued it was "clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism".

On Tuesday, Carter said she feared her England team-mate Lauren James would suffer "astronomical" racist abuse if she had been the only player to have missed a penalty in their Euro quarter-final shootout win against Sweden.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to racist abuse in July 2021 in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final, after all three missed penalties as England lost to Italy.

"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," anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said.

Kick it Out said accountability from both the offenders and social media companies is "not being met".

"Football bodies, authorities, and the regulator Ofcom, must come together to accelerate a plan that better protects players," the charity added.

"Their welfare should always be paramount, and we stand with Mathys Tel and all those who have suffered this continuing, racist abuse."

In June, tennis players - including Britain's Katie Boulter - demanded more action from social media companies to stop "dangerous" online abuse after Boulter said receiving abusive content and death threats had become "the norm" for athletes.

Players took the knee before specific matches during the 2024-25 Premier League season

The Premier League stepped in to get 1,500 abusive posts removed from various social media accounts last season.

Premier League sources have said the move was made possible by the direct intervention of a dedicated, specialist support team and action taken through work with UK and international law enforcement.

The league has confirmed players will be asked to 'Take a Knee' around two games in October to highlight their anti-discrimination commitments.

The practice of taking the knee before football matches became widespread in 2020 following the murder in the US of George Floyd - an unarmed African American man - who was killed during an arrest by white officer Derek Chauvin.

Premier League players took the knee before matches following football's return from the Covid-19 shutdown in the summer of 2020.

It was then decided before the start of the 2022-23 season to pick specific moments throughout the season to take the knee rather than doing so at every match.

Europa League winners Tottenham led 2-0 on Wednesday after 84 minutes and were minutes away from claiming their second trophy in three months before PSG fought back, levelling the match when Goncalo Ramos headed in a 94th-minute equaliser.

Spurs defender Micky van de Ven saw his spot-kick saved before Frenchman Tel sent his shot wide. Nuno Mendes held his nerve to convert the winning penalty for PSG.

Tottenham signed Tel on a permanent deal, worth about £30m, in June after he joined the club on loan in January.

He made 20 appearances for the club last season, scoring three goals, and was an unused substitute for their victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.