Leeds condemn racist abuse of Bogle after Tel incident

Leeds United have condemned the “disgusting” online racist abuse directed towards defender Jayden Bogle following Saturday’s 1-0 win against Tottenham. The 26-year-old Leeds defender was targeted after he escaped punishment for a first-half tackle on Mathys Tel that led to the Spurs forward hobbling off. The full-back caught the back of Tel’s ankle with his studs, but referee John Brooks decided not to punish him following a lengthy video assistant referee review.

Tottenham are set to submit a formal complaint about the decision to not send Bogle off and will write to refereeing body Pro Ref to seek an explanation. Leeds said they had been “appalled” by the racist abuse posted on social media about Bogle, adding it condemned the behaviour “in the strongest possible terms”. “There is no place for racism in football or society,” a club statement read.

“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.” Bogle reportedly disabled comments on his Instagram account on Saturday after Leeds‘ win at Elland Road. On Sunday, Leeds published a selection of messages Bogle had received – with his permission – to highlight their severity.

“Jayden has the full and unconditional support of the club and his team-mates, and we all stand with him at this time,” Leeds added. “Nobody should ever be subjected to racist abuse.” Tottenham also released a statement, external on Sunday saying the club had been “disgusted” by the abuse suffered by Bogle and have offered their support in identifying those responsible.

“We will pursue every available avenue to ensure they are identified and face the full consequences of their actions,” read the statement. “Regardless of club allegiances and on-pitch results, no-one should ever stand alone in the face of this.” Bogle latest Premier League player to be targeted It is not the first time this year that Tottenham have had a player, or an opposition player, suffer online racist abuse after a Premier League game.

Tottenham defender Kevin Danso was targeted by “vile” abuse in April, the weekend after Sunderland‘s Brian Brobbey had been the subject of racist abuse following an incident in a match against Spurs. That followed four incidents over the same weekend in February, when Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle were targeted, prompting a police investigation.

Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out said in April that reports of online abuse were at record levels, increasing by a third compared to the previous season. At the time, UK Football Policing Unit deputy director Mike Ankers told BBC Radio 5 Live that it had seen an increase of about 115% in online abuse reports.