Ivan Toney scored the equaliser to earn Brentford a point against Arsenal
(Picture: Getty Images)Brentford have condemned the latest sickening racist abuse aimed at Ivan Toney after Saturday’s Premier League draw with Arsenal.
The England striker nodded in Christian Norgaard’s cross with 16 minutes remaining at Emirates Stadium to net his 15th goal of the season, earning Thomas Frank’s Bees a share of the spoils in a London derby and dealing a further setback to Arsenal’s title hopes.
It later transpired that Toney’s goal should not have been allowed to stand after VAR official Lee Mason apparently neglected to draw offside lines to check Norgaard’s position, with a lengthy review mostly centred on whether or not Ethan Pinnock was offside from the initial free-kick.
Brentford have now said that their leading scorer received a “barrage of abusive, racist messages” via his Instagram account after the match.
Toney previously revealed the online racist abuse sent to him via Twitter in October, with the person responsible due to return to court for sentencing next month after admitting a charge of sending an offensive message.
And in a strong statement after more vile abuse this weekend, Brentford vowed to pursue the individuals involved as they made a plea to all football fans to respect and celebrate diversity.
“We are disgusted and saddened that Ivan has had to deal with this yet again,” Brentford’s statement read.
“We will not tolerate it and we will do everything we can to pursue the individuals involved. Ivan was subject to similar abuse in October last year, and the perpetrator is now facing the consequences in court.
“How many times does this need to happen? We call on football fans everywhere to relish the competition and rivalry that exists between us, but to respect and embrace our differences and celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the Premier League. There is no room for racism.”
The Premier League said in their own statement: “No one should have to face abuse of the kind received by Ivan Toney. It has no place in football or society. We are supporting Ivan and the club with investigations.
“The Premier League condemns all forms of discrimination. Football is for everyone.
“The Premier League will continue to support players and work with clubs to tackle discriminatory behaviour through our online abuse reporting system.”
