Ivan Toney is hit with vile racist abuse as England and Brentford condemn harassment

ENGLAND and Brentford have condemned the “despicable harassment” of Ivan Toney after he received more racist online abuse.

And Toney's representatives have called on football authorities and social media platforms to crack down on the “widespread” problem within football.

The furious Bees also branded social media companies' response to abuse as 'disappointing'.

A statement from Brentford said: “We are angry and frustrated to report that Ivan has once again been the victim of racist abuse on Instagram.

“We have launched an investigation into this vile harassment, which we condemn in the strongest terms.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time Ivan has had to deal with this. Just four weeks ago, a similar incident took place, allowing us to identify an alleged perpetrator who we reported to the authorities. To date, we have not taken any action against this individual.”

A statement from Three Lions added: “It is incredibly disappointing that Ivan Toney has once again been the victim of racist abuse on social media.

“There must be consequences for this behavior, and we support strong action from the authorities and social media companies.”

Toney, 27, has previously received racist comments on Instagram and Brentford wants anyone found guilty of posting racist comments to be prosecuted.

In March 2023, a 24-year-old man was banned from every football pitch in Britain for three years after racially abusing Toney, who had scored the Bees' equalizer at Arsenal, on social media.

The man also received a prison sentence of four months, of which two years.

Brentford's statement added: “Overall, the response from social media platforms to these ongoing issues has been disappointing.

“Their solutions, such as filters to simply hide the abuse, may protect players, but completely miss the point and do not discourage offenders. Without real consequences for those responsible, the cycle is doomed to repeat itself.

“We are confident that things can change. We value the dialogue we have with people like Meta, but we call for more decisive and urgent action to combat online hate.

“We call for swift investigations, and most importantly, we call for criminal prosecution. We will continue to work with the authorities and the Premier League and support our players in tackling this appalling online abuse.”

I would prefer to keep Toney, but one day it might be nice to see him on a top team.

Thomas Frank

Luton striker Elijah Adebayo was also targeted in October when the Hatters called it 'despicable and a cowardly act of online abuse'.

And Toney's agent Jonathan Barnett, of ICM Stellar, said: “I unequivocally condemn the racist abuse our player Ivan Toney has been subjected to on social media.

“Everyone at ICM Stellar is shocked that this type of unconscionable and despicable behavior is still prevalent in society today.

“Social media can no longer ignore a widespread and recurring problem on their platforms. We call on all forms of social media to do more to prevent, address and combat unacceptable and distressing incidents of discrimination such as this.

“My team will investigate and report any findings to the appropriate authorities – we won't just be bystanders.

“Personally, I stand with Ivan, his family and friends, and also with everyone who has been a victim of discrimination. We beg the football world to throw it out – once and for all.”

Toney's Brentford boss Thomas Frank has stated that the club will sell their prized asset this summer.

Toney, valued at over €80m and linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea in January, has just returned from an eight-month gambling ban and has scored two goals in three Prem games so far on his return.

Frank said: “It is relatively obvious that Ivan will probably be sold this summer. We also know what he is worth. I don't think there are many strikers in the world right now who are better than him.

“Personally, as a coach I would prefer to keep Toney, but one day it could be nice to see him in a top team.

“We didn't actually have any offers for him this winter, but I'll be surprised if there aren't many clubs interested in him.”