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The UEFA Super Cup 2025 final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) marked Tottenham Hotspur’s first-ever appearance in the tournament, earned through their Europa League triumph last season. Spurs took a commanding 2-0 lead with goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. However, late strikes from PSG’s Lee Kang-in in the 85th minute and Goncalo Ramos in the fourth minute of stoppage time leveled the score. Tottenham’s hopes were shattered as Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failed to convert their spot kicks. Following the defeat, Tel was reportedly subjected to racial abuse on social media.
Tottenham Hotspur has issued a vehement condemnation of the racial abuse directed at their forward Mathys Tel 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,” the club declared. The statement by the club further 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.” The 20-year-old France Under-21 international, came in as a substitute in the 79th minute. The club assured that they will make sure that authorities take strongest action against the individuals upon identification.
Recent episode of online racial abuse involved England women’s team defender Jess Carter
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from fans, pundits, and organisations, with posts on X reflecting outrage and support for Tel. One such post supporting Mathys Tel, read, “It takes guts to step up for a penalty, especially on that stage. The ones abusing him? Cowards hiding behind screens. Football’s about respect. We stand with you, Mathys. #NoRoomForRacism.” Mathys Tel made 20 appearances for the club last season, scoring three goals and was an unused substitute for their victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final.
The racial abuse directed at Tel underscores the ongoing challenge of combating online harassment in football, a problem that has plagued the sport for years. Spurs’ statement comes after England women’s team defender Jess Carter revealed she had been the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025 last month. This incident resulted in the Lionesses stopping the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches as they argued it was “clear we and football need to find another way of tackling racism”.
