Ivan Toney hit with vile racist abuse as England and Brentford condemn harassment just weeks after similar incident

ENGLAND and Brentford have condemned the “vile harassment” of Ivan Toney after he received more racist online abuse.

And Toney’s representatives have called for football’s authorities and social media platforms to crackdown on the “widespread” problem within the game.

The furious Bees also slammed the response of social media companies to abuse as “underwhelming”.

A Brentford statement read: “We are angered and frustrated to report Ivan has been subjected to racist abuse on Instagram once more.

“We have initiated investigations into this vile harassment which we condemn in the strongest terms.

“Sadly, this isn’t the first time Ivan has had to deal with this. A similar incident occurred just four weeks ago, leading us to identify an alleged perpetrator whom we reported to the authorities. To date, we have yet to see any action taken against that individual.”

A Three Lions statement added: “It is incredibly disappointing that Ivan Toney has been subject to racial abuse on social media again.

“This behaviour must have consequences, and we support strong action by the authorities and social media companies.”

Toney, 27, has previously received racist comments on Instagram and Brentford want anyone found guilty of posting racist comments to be prosecuted.

In March 2023, a 24-year-old man was banned from every football ground in the UK for three years after racially abusing Toney, who had scored the Bees’ equaliser at Arsenal, on social media.

The man also received a four-month sentence suspended for two years.

Brentford’s statement added: “In general, the response from social media platforms to these ongoing issues has been underwhelming.

“Their solutions, such as filters to simply hide the abuse, may safeguard the players but miss the mark entirely and do not discourage the offenders. Without real consequences for those responsible, the cycle is doomed to repeat.

“We do have faith that things can change. We appreciate the dialogue that we have with the likes of Meta but we call for more decisive and urgent action to combat online hate.

“We call for prompt investigations, and importantly, we call for criminal prosecutions. We will continue to work with the authorities and the Premier League and to support our players as we tackle this awful online abuse.”

I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team.

Thomas Frank

Luton striker Elijah Adebayo was also targeted in October when the Hatters branded it “vile and a cowardly act of online abuse”.

And Toney’s agent Jonathan Barnett, of ICM Stellar, said: “I unequivocally condemn the racist abuse our player Ivan Toney has been subjected to on social media.

“Everyone at ICM Stellar is shocked that these types of unconscionable and vile behaviours are still prevalent in society today.

“Social media can no longer ignore a widespread and recurring problem across its platforms. We call on all forms of social media to do more to prevent, address and combat unacceptable and distressing incidents of discrimination such as this.

“My team will conduct an investigation and pass on any findings to the appropriate authorities — we will not just be bystanders.

“I personally stand with Ivan, his family and friends, as well as anyone else who has been subjected to discrimination. We implore the football world to kick it out — once and for all.”

Toney’s Brentford boss Thomas Frank has stated the club are set to sell their prized asset this summer.

Toney, valued at £80m-plus and linked with January moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, has just returned from an eight-month betting ban, scoring two goals in three Prem games so far on his return.

Frank said: “It is relatively obvious that Ivan will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now.

“Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney but one day it could be fun to see him on a top team.

“This winter we actually had no offers for him, but it will surprise me if there aren’t a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk