Leeds United have condemned the online racist abuse aimed at defender Jayden Bogle, the BBC reported. The club said it was "appalled" by the posts and condemned them "in the strongest possible terms". The abuse came after Leeds beat Tottenham 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday.
The 26-year-old full-back was targeted after a first-half tackle on Spurs forward Mathys Tel. Bogle caught the back of Tel's ankle with his studs, and Tel hobbled off. Referee John Brooks did not punish Bogle after a lengthy video assistant referee review. Tottenham are set to file a formal complaint. They will also write to refereeing body Pro Ref to seek an explanation, the BBC reported.
Bogle reportedly turned off comments on his Instagram account on Saturday. On Sunday, Leeds published some of the messages he received, with his permission, to show how serious they were. The club said it would work with the Premier League and the relevant authorities to identify those responsible. It will push for the strongest possible action against them. "There is no place for racism in football or society," the Leeds statement said. The club added that Bogle has the "full and unconditional support" of the club and his teammates.
Tottenham also issued a statement on Sunday. The club said it was "disgusted" by the abuse and offered to help identify the people behind it. Spurs said they would pursue every available avenue to make sure the abusers face the full consequences. "Regardless of club allegiances and on-pitch results, no-one should ever stand alone in the face of this," the statement read.
This is not the first such case involving a Tottenham match this year. Spurs defender Kevin Danso faced "vile" abuse in April. That came the weekend after Sunderland's Brian Brobbey was racially abused following an incident against Spurs. In February, four players were targeted over a single weekend. They were Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, Wolves' Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland's Romaine Mundle. Those cases led to a police investigation.
Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out said in April that reports of online abuse had hit record levels. They rose by a third compared with the previous season. Mike Ankers, deputy director of the UK Football Policing Unit, told BBC Radio 5 Live at the time that such reports had risen by about 115%.