Tottenham has expressed its disgust over the racial abuse directed at torward Mathys Tel following their loss to Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup.
The club, which lost 4-3 in a penalty shootout after squandering a two-goal advantage, labeled those who sent abusive messages to Tel on social media as “nothing but cowards.”
Tel, 20, came off the bench in the 79th minute and was one of two Spurs players who missed their penalties during the shootout.
“Mathys displayed bravery and courage by stepping up to take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are merely cowards—hiding behind anonymous usernames and profiles to voice their despicable opinions,” Tottenham stated.
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“We will collaborate with authorities and social media platforms to take the strongest possible action against anyone we can identify. We stand with you, Mathys.”
This statement from Spurs follows England defender Jess Carter’s revelation that she faced racist abuse during Euro 2025 last month.
Consequently, the Lionesses decided to stop the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches, arguing that “it’s clear we and football need to find another way to combat racism.”
On Tuesday, Carter expressed concern that her England teammate Lauren James would face “astronomical” racist abuse if she had been the only player to miss a penalty in their Euro quarter-final shootout against Sweden.
Tottenham, the Europa League champions, led 2-0 with just six minutes remaining and were close to securing their second trophy in three months before PSG made a comeback, equalizing with a 94th-minute header from Goncalo Ramos.
Spurs defender Micky van de Ven had his penalty saved, and Tel sent his shot wide. Nuno Mendes maintained his composure to score the decisive penalty for PSG.
Tottenham signed Tel on a permanent deal worth around £30 million in June after he initially joined the club on loan in January.
He made 20 appearances for the club last season, scoring three goals, and was an unused substitute in their Europa League final victory over Manchester United.
