Brentford and the Premier League have condemned the racist abuse that Ivan Toney received via social media.
Toney shared via Instagram a racist direct message that was sent to him after the Bees' 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday night.
"We condemn this discriminatory behaviour in the strongest possible terms," said Brentford in a statement. "An attack on one of our players is an attack on all of us.
"Ivan will receive the full backing from the Club and from the Brentford fans who we have already seen condemning the abuse.
"We expect strong support from the police, legal authorities and from Instagram's parent company, Meta, to ensure that the individual involved faces the full force of the law for this despicable hate crime."
The #PL will continue to support players and work with clubs to tackle discriminatory behaviour
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 15, 2022
It's up to all of us to challenge discrimination wherever we see it
☑ Challenge it
☑ Report it
☑ Change it
See abuse online? Here's how you can report it: https://t.co/wOjw3gd0T6 pic.twitter.com/kxJwh6wsGn
In response, the Premier League tweeted: "The Premier League condemns all forms of discrimination. No one should have to face abuse of the kind received by Ivan Toney. It has no place in football or society. We are supporting Ivan and the club with investigations."
In 2020, the League launched an online reporting system for players, managers, coaches and their family members who receive this sort of serious discriminatory online abuse.
The system has also been made available to all Premier League clubs, offering a rapid way for fans to report discrimination aimed at players, managers or match officials online.
It enables them to to notify the Premier League of abuse like that received by Toney. Each case will be reviewed, reported to the relevant social media company, investigated and legal action taken where appropriate.
The League has so far investigated more than 400 cases to identify online abusers following reports from clubs.
Read: How to report abuse on social media
The abuse was sent to Toney as the Premier League, clubs and players are dedicating their matches this weekend to the No Room For Racism initiative to highlight their ongoing commitment to tackling discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
Players took the knee ahead of kick-off before all 10 fixtures last weekend and will do again this match round to show their unity against all forms of racism.
