Tottenham Hotspur has expressed their disgust over the racial abuse directed at forward Mathys Tel after their defeat in the Uefa Super Cup against Paris St-Germain. The club, which lost 4-3 on penalties after squandering a two-goal lead, described those who sent abusive messages to Tel on social media as 'nothing but cowards'.

Mathys Tel, aged 20, came on as a substitute in the 79th minute and was one of two Spurs players who failed to score in the penalty shootout. Despite this, Tottenham praised Tel's bravery for stepping up to take a penalty, contrasting it with the cowardice of those hiding behind anonymous profiles to spread their hateful views.

In a strong statement, Tottenham said, 'Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards - hiding behind anonymous usernames and profiles to spout their abhorrent views. We 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.'

This incident follows England defender Jess Carter revealing she had been the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025 last month. As a result, the Lionesses stopped the anti-racism gesture of taking a knee before matches, arguing that 'clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism'.

On Tuesday, Carter expressed her concern that her England teammate Lauren James would face 'astronomical' racist abuse if she had been the only player to miss a penalty in their Euro quarter-final shootout against Sweden.

In the Uefa Super Cup match, Tottenham led 2-0 after 84 minutes and were on the verge of claiming their second trophy in three months before PSG staged a dramatic comeback. Goncalo Ramos headed in a 94th-minute equalizer, leading to a penalty shootout. Spurs defender Micky van de Ven saw his spot-kick saved, and Tel sent his shot wide, allowing Nuno Mendes to convert the winning penalty for PSG.

Tottenham signed Tel on a permanent deal worth around £30m in June after he joined the club on loan in January. Last season, he made 20 appearances, scoring three goals, and was an unused substitute in their Europa League final victory over Manchester United.