Brentford have condemned racist abuse aimed at striker Ivan Toney following their 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Saturday.
Toney scored the equaliser that sealed a point for Brentford against the Premier League leaders, though replays appeared to show that the goal should have been ruled out for Christian Norgaard straying offside in the build-up.
In a statement released by Brentford on Sunday, the club claimed that Toney was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram, and pleaded with all football fans to “celebrate diversity”.
“Immediately after Brentford’s game against Arsenal, Ivan Toney received a barrage of abusive, racist direct messages via his Instagram account,” the statement read.
“We are disgusted and saddened that Ivan has had to deal with this yet again.
“We will not tolerate it and we will do everything we can to pursue the individuals involved.
“Ivan was subject to similar abuse in October last year, and the perpetrator is now facing the consequences in court.
“How many times does this need to happen?
“We call on football fans everywhere to relish the competition and rivalry that exists between us, but to respect and embrace our differences and celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the Premier League.
“There is no room for racism.”
This weekend’s Premier League games saw a return of the taking of the knee prior to kick-off as part of the No Room for Racism campaign.
Last year, Toney said that members of his family had been racially abused in the stands at Goodison Park, during a 3-2 win for Brentford over Everton.
