FILE PHOTO: General view of Tottenham Hotspur players applauding to fans during a lap of appreciation after the match in the Premier League on May 19, 2021. Pool via REUTERS/Daniel Leal-Olivas
Eight men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the online racist abuse of an unnamed Tottenham Hotspur player last month, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday
The police said the investigation took place after a Spurs player was targeted with “highly offensive and racist remarks” on Twitter following their 3-1 Premier League loss to Manchester United on April 11.
Spurs condemned the “abhorrent” racial abuse of South Korean forward Son Heung-min on social media after the game.
We welcome the action taken here. There is no place for racism anywhere in our game and society. https://t.co/Fz6fOiIGBj
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2021
The police said four other men were also interviewed, with all 12 of them being “under suspicion of using words or behaviour or displaying written material with intent to stir up racial hatred.”
Spurs said they welcomed the action taken by the police.
“There is no place for racism anywhere in our game and society,” the club tweeted.
The abuse was initially detected through United’s online racist abuse reporting tool and then flagged to the police in Manchester, with the Met Police leading the investigation, the statement added.