Tottenham have condemned the racist abuse aimed towards Mathys Tel online after the forward missed a penalty in Wednesday’s Uefa Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain. Tel was targeted after firing wide in the shootout and his club threw their backing behind him amid a spate of unacceptable comments on social media.
“We are disgusted at the racial abuse that Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night’s Uefa Super Cup defeat,” Spurs said. “Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards – hiding behind anonymous usernames and profiles to spout their abhorrent views.
“We will work with the authorities and social media platforms to take the strongest possible action against any individual we are able to identify. We stand with you, Mathys.”
Tel, who came on in the 79th minute, joined Tottenham for £30m from Bayern Munich in June after a half-season loan. He is the latest footballer to be abused in a pattern that social media companies show little ability to arrest. Last month the England defender Jess Carter withdrew from any active social media presence after being racially targeted during Euro 2025.
The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said: “If you’re a black player, it would be totally understandable to think: ‘Why would I want to take a penalty?’ That’s the state of the game right now, and the sad fact is, it’s nothing new. Players are routinely targeted with racism online and want action; we want action, too. Accountability from offenders and social media companies is a baseline, but it’s not being met. Football bodies, authorities and the regulator Ofcom must come together to accelerate a plan that better protects players.”
It was a bleak end to what, for long periods of the night, proved an encouraging exercise for Spurs. They were better than a rusty PSG for much of the game, leading through goals by Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, and posed problems with some bright running in attack. Mohamed Kudus, who signed from West Ham this summer, was lively in a strike partnership with Richarlison and said Tottenham’s performance proved they can mix it with the best.
“I am really, really proud of the team for their work ethic and energy because we had them for most of the game, it was just the last part we need to fix,” he said. “We competed against one of the best teams in the world and showed we can play at that level. It is just [about] staying focused for the whole game. This is a good step, of course a big disappointment, but we have a lot more to play for this season, a lot more competitions and we take this as a lesson and move forward.”
Mohammed Kudus said he was proud of Tottenham’s ‘work ethic and energy’ against PSG. Photograph: Massimo Paolone/AP
The Ghana international, who scored 19 goals in two seasons for West Ham, will have competition for his place if Thomas Frank succeeds in adding to his front line. Eberechi Eze and Savinho are top targets; Kudus, though, has begun promisingly and believes life at Spurs is suiting him well.
“I’m very excited to have joined this beautiful club,” he said. “I am still settling in, trying to adapt and to get used to my coaches but, with the help of the club, so far it has been going so smoothly. I still have a lot more to show.”
