Leeds says it will work with the Premier League and authorities to identify those responsible for abusing its defender after the November 7 match; Tottenham has also offered to help.
Leeds United has condemned racist abuse directed at defender Jayden Bogle on social media after its November 7 match against Tottenham. Tottenham also condemned the abuse on 8 November and offered to help identify those responsible.
The abuse followed a first-half challenge in Leeds' 1-0 win. Bogle caught the back of Tottenham forward Mathys Tel’s ankle with his studs, and Tel hobbled off. Referee John Brooks did not punish Bogle after a lengthy video assistant referee review, the BBC said.
Leeds said it would work with the Premier League and relevant authorities to identify the individuals and push for the strongest possible action. Tottenham said it would pursue every available avenue to identify those responsible and ensure they face consequences. Both statements set out intended efforts rather than completed sanctions.
Bogle reportedly disabled comments on his Instagram account after the match. On 8 November, Leeds published a selection of the messages with his permission to show their severity. The club said Bogle had its full support and that of his teammates; Tottenham said no one should stand alone in the face of such abuse.
Separately, Tottenham plans to make a formal complaint about the decision not to send Bogle off and to ask the refereeing body Pro Ref for an explanation.
Tottenham defender Kevin Danso was targeted with racist abuse in April, a weekend after Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey was abused following an incident against Tottenham. In February, Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana, Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland’s Romaine Mundle were the four players targeted online over the same weekend; the UK Football Policing Unit said on 23 February that it had launched investigations after four separate reports.
Manchester United scored twice in stoppage time to draw 4–4 with Aston Villa. Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 3–1, leaving Palace bottom for the first time since December 2017. Arsenal beat Hull 1–0 and Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3–1; Bournemouth won 2–1 at Ipswich, Brighton beat Brentford 2–0, Sunderland beat Chelsea 1–0, Leeds beat Tottenham 1–0, Fulham drew 1–1 with Newcastle and Everton beat Coventry 3–1.
The BBC said anti-discrimination group Kick It Out reported in April that online-abuse reports were at record levels, up by a third from the previous season. The BBC had also reported that figure on 23 February, when the group’s comparison was with the same point in the previous season. The BBC’s November report placed the policing unit’s deputy director Mike Ankers’s statement in April; he said the unit had seen an increase of about 115% in reports of online abuse; the BBC cited that figure in both February and its November report.
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