Leeds United have condemned the racist abuse sent to Jayden Bogle online after Saturday's 1-0 win over Tottenham, calling it "disgusting" and saying the club was "appalled". Tottenham released their own statement on Sunday describing themselves as "disgusted" and offering help in identifying those responsible.
The abuse followed a first-half incident in which Bogle caught the back of Mathys Tel's ankle with his studs. Tel hobbled off. Referee John Brooks reviewed the challenge at length with VAR and decided against punishing the Leeds defender, a decision Tottenham intend to raise formally with refereeing body Pro Ref.
What the clubs said
"There is no place for racism in football or society," Leeds said in a statement. "The club will work with the Premier League and relevant authorities to identify the individuals and push for the strongest possible action to be taken against them." They added that Bogle has "the full and unconditional support of the club and his team-mates".
Bogle reportedly turned off comments on his Instagram account after the match. On Sunday, with his permission, Leeds published a selection of the messages he had received so that people could see what had actually been sent. Tottenham's statement said they would "pursue every available avenue" and added that "regardless of club allegiances and on-pitch results, no-one should ever stand alone in the face of this".
Another name on a list that keeps growing
This is not an isolated weekend. Tottenham defender Kevin Danso was abused in April, the week after Sunderland's Brian Brobbey was targeted following an incident in a match against Spurs. In February four players were abused across a single weekend, with Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle all affected, which prompted a police investigation.
Kick It Out reported in April that online abuse had reached record levels, up by a third on the previous season. Around the same time the UK Football Policing Unit's deputy director Mike Ankers told BBC Radio 5 Live that reports had risen by roughly 115 per cent.
The bit the statements cannot fix
Clubs issue these statements quickly now, and they are better worded than they used to be, and the abuse carries on anyway. Identifying anonymous accounts remains slow and difficult, and the gap between a player being targeted on Saturday night and anyone facing consequences is usually measured in months, when consequences come at all.
What changed slightly here is that Leeds published the messages rather than describing them. Bogle, who is 26 and has played in all ten of Leeds' Premier League games this season, scoring once, agreed to it. Making people look at the thing itself is a small shift, and possibly a useful one.
Context: Jayden Bogle, 26, Leeds United defender, was racially abused online after Leeds' 1-0 win over Tottenham at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November. Both clubs have condemned the abuse. Tottenham will also write to Pro Ref over the decision not to send Bogle off for a challenge on Mathys Tel.
0 Comments