Brentford has denounced the “disgusting mistreatment” directed towards Ivan Toney, following the England forward’s experience with racist comments online. The team from the Premier League also criticized the inadequate actions taken by social media platforms in response to these types of incidents.
27-year-old Toney has been subjected to racist remarks on his Instagram posts in the past, prompting Brentford to demand further action after a recent incident.
“We are deeply upset and disappointed to announce that Ivan Toney has once again been the target of racist abuse on Instagram,” stated the club. “We are actively investigating this despicable harassment and strongly condemn it.”
“Unfortunately, this is not the initial occurrence that Ivan has had to address. A comparable event took place only four weeks prior, causing us to expose a suspected wrongdoer whom we reported to the appropriate authorities. However, until now, there has been no action taken against this person.”
The Bees are urging for the prosecution of individuals who make racist remarks and for measures to be taken to prevent these incidents from happening again in the future.
The statement expressed disappointment in the overall response of social media platforms to these ongoing problems. Their proposed solutions, such as filters to block out the abuse, may protect the players but fail to address the root issue and do not deter the perpetrators. Without proper consequences for the individuals responsible, this cycle is likely to continue.
“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 are committed to collaborating with the authorities and the Premier League to provide support for our players as we address the despicable issue of online abuse.”
The season ticket of a West Brom fan who was arrested for allegedly racially abusing Birmingham’s Juninho Bacuna at the Hawthorns has been suspended.
Bacuna notified the fourth official, Tom Nield, about an incident towards the end of his team’s 1-0 loss in the Championship on Saturday. The West Midlands police have stated that a 50-year-old man from Dudley has been arrested and released on bail. They are also asking for any witnesses to come forward.
The West Brom football club has expressed its complete backing for the criminal investigation being conducted by West Midlands police regarding this issue. The club is also actively communicating with Birmingham City to ensure that Juninho Bacuna receives the necessary assistance.
The organization has a firm position against any type of prejudice and will take all measures to ensure that those who are found guilty of racism are given the harshest possible legal consequences. They will also be permanently banned from The Hawthorns.
Source: theguardian.com
