London, Aug 14 (AP) Tottenham Hotspur has strongly condemned the "cowards" responsible for racially abusing French forward Mathys Tel following the team's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout during the UEFA Super Cup.
The 20-year-old Tel, who is Black, missed one of the crucial penalties as Tottenham was defeated 4-3 in the shootout after a 2-2 draw against PSG.
"We are appalled by the racial abuse directed at Mathys Tel on social media following last night's UEFA Super Cup defeat," stated Tottenham in an official announcement.
"Mathys displayed bravery and courage by stepping up to take a penalty, yet those who targeted him with abuse are mere cowards — hiding behind anonymous usernames and profiles to express their vile opinions." Tottenham has pledged to collaborate with authorities and social media platforms to ensure “the strongest possible action against any individual we are able to identify.”
"We stand with you, Mathys," the Spurs declared emphatically.
Tel became a permanent member of the team in the off-season after transferring from Bayern Munich, following a loan period last season. He entered the match as a substitute in the 79th minute when Tottenham was leading 2-0.
Unfortunately, his penalty in the shootout went wide of the goal. (AP) DDV
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)