Mathys Tel has opened up on how he felt after being targeted with racial abuse last week, and has thanked the Tottenham fans for the way they have come to his support.
The Frenchman was one of two Tottenham players to fail to convert their spotkick during the penalty shootout in the UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG.
The forward was inexplicably targeted with racist abuse after his miss, and the Spurs players came out in support of Tel after the ugly incident.
The club also immediately released a strongly worded statement condemning those who targeted the 20-year-old with racist abuse.
We are disgusted at the racial abuse that Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night’s UEFA Super Cup defeat.
Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards – hiding behind anonymous… pic.twitter.com/rOF1WYeos4
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 14, 2025
Mathys Tel thanks Tottenham fans for their support
The Tottenham fans responded classily by making Tel feel loved during the club’s 3-0 win over Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
The 20-year-old was welcomed onto the pitch with loud applause when he replaced Mohammed Kudus in the 85th minute. There were chants of ‘there is only one Matty Tel’ from the South Stand, with Thomas Frank himself joining in the applause.
Tel has now thanked the fans for their support and insisted that the abhorrent abuse aimed at him will not bring him down.
The forward wrote: “After the last a few days have passed, I wanted to thank you for all your messages of support! I was also disappointed about Wednesday night, but racism has no place in our society.
“Every day is a learning curve, and every day is a lesson. I know where I come from, where I started and none of this will bring me down. With work and humility, respect reigns. Thank you all.”
Racism has no place in modern society, and it is up to us as fans to do all we can to stamp it out.
If someone abused players racially at a stadium, they would immediately be identified by others and charged for their behaviour.
However, with the anonymity that social media offers, these racist trolls feel emboldened to throw abuse at players without fear of repercussions.
Given the kind of abuse different Tottenham players have received on social media over recent years, one wonders if it will be better for their mental health to come off these platforms.
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