LONDON: Tottenham has slammed the “cowards” who racially abused French forward Mathys Tel after the team’s loss to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout in the UEFA Super Cup.
The 20-year-old Tel, who is Black, was one of two Tottenham players who failed to convert their penalties as they lost the shootout 4-3 to PSG after a 2-2 draw.
“We are disgusted at the racial abuse that Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night’s UEFA Super Cup defeat,” Tottenham said in a statement.
“Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards — hiding behind anonymous user names and profiles to spout their abhorrent views.”
Tottenham said the club 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,” Spurs added.
Tel, who joined the team on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich in the offseason after a loan spell last season, came on as a substitute in the 79th minute when Tottenham was 2-0 ahead.
He hit his penalty wide of the goal in the shootout.
Tottenham condemns racist abuse of Mathys Tel after UEFA Super Cup
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Tottenham condemns racist abuse of Mathys Tel after UEFA Super Cup
- The 20-year-old Tel, who is Black, was one of two Tottenham players who failed to convert their penalties as they lost the shootout 4-3 to PSG after a 2-2 draw
Alexandra Eala delights fans with day 3 win at Abu Dhabi Open
- The Filipina star joins Sara Bejlek, Janice Tjen, Dayana Yastremska, Jelena Ostapenko and others in the last 16
ABU DHABI: Crowds flocked to Zayed Sports City’s Stadium Court on Monday night as rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala delivered a popular win at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Day 3 action served some upsets, as Spanish former world No. 2 Paula Badosa was eliminated by Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a three-set thriller, while qualifier Sara Bejlek defeated last year’s finalist Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets. One of the finest matches of the day was between Maya Joint of Australia and Indonesian Janice Tjen, with the latter triumphing 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
Tjen said after the victory: “This is my first time in Abu Dhabi and it’s been so nice. It means so much to me, the support I received today from the fans. The Indonesian fans were chanting ‘let’s go’ in my language which was amazing.”
In the evening, Jelena Ostapenko came from a set down to beat Oksana Selekhmeteva. The Latvian said after her impressive comeback: “I gave it my all on the court and am so happy with the win. The UAE is one of my favorite countries to play in and the atmosphere was amazing.”
The final match of the day was played in front of a capacity crowd, Eala delighting the audience with her straight-set victory over Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez.
The 20-year-old said of her win: “Recently I’ve been playing in front of so many big crowds and I’m starting to find my groove a bit. I really appreciate all the fans coming to watch me with their families, especially on weekdays.”
After the match, she attended a meet-and-greet with Alfonso Ferdinand Ver, the Philippines ambassador to the UAE.
Tournament director Nigel Gupta said: “It was another wonderful day of tennis in Abu Dhabi. It’s been fantastic to see such strong crowds throughout the event, and especially to see so many schoolchildren enjoying the experience today. The draw produced a mouth-watering match-up between two highly supported players, and while there could only be one winner, congratulations to Eala. We’re really looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store.”
Tuesday’s action includes seven-time WTA Tour title winner Liudmila Samsonova playing Janice Tjen on Stadium Court and an all-American clash between Hailey Baptiste and Emma Navarro, before Eala plays doubles with Tjen against Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic on ADCB Court 1.
Off the court, 2,897 students from 41 schools attended the tournament as part of its free-entry initiative for children until Thursday. The tournament ends on Saturday, Feb. 7.
