Leeds Publish Bogle’s Racist Messages as Spurs Vow to Help Identify Senders

• Leeds United published a selection of the racist messages sent to defender Jayden Bogle, with his permission, after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham, per BBC Sport.
• Tottenham said they were disgusted by the abuse and offered their support in identifying those responsible.
• Leeds will work with the Premier League and the relevant authorities to identify the individuals and push for the strongest possible action.

Two Clubs Close Ranks Around a Defender Facing Racist Abuse

Leeds United have published a selection of the racist messages sent to Jayden Bogle, with the defender’s permission, to show how severe the abuse was. The club released them on Sunday, a day after Leeds beat Tottenham 1-0 at Elland Road. Bogle is understood to have disabled comments on his Instagram account on Saturday. Tottenham, whose forward Mathys Tel was on the receiving end of Bogle’s first-half tackle, have said they are disgusted by what the 26-year-old suffered and have offered their support in identifying those responsible. Two clubs on opposite sides of a contentious decision have ended up saying the same thing in public.

What Happened at Elland Road

The abuse followed a first-half incident. Bogle caught the back of Tel’s ankle with his studs, and the Spurs forward hobbled off. Referee John Brooks decided not to punish Bogle after a lengthy video assistant referee review. The posts, believed to come from four separate accounts, followed the game.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke defended his player after the game.

“Jayden is one of the fairest players in the country. He is more like a butterfly than an eagle and he would not even foul a player on purpose, let alone injure them. It was never intentional and maybe this is why the VAR said it was not a red card.”

Tottenham see it differently. The club is set to submit a formal complaint about the decision not to send Bogle off and will write to refereeing body Pro Ref to seek an explanation. That complaint is a separate matter from the abuse. A disagreement over a refereeing call gives nobody a reason to send racist messages.

What Both Clubs Said

Leeds responded with a four-paragraph statement.

“Leeds United are appalled at the disgusting, racist social media abuse Jayden Bogle suffered following Saturday’s Premier League victory against Tottenham Hotspur.”

“Leeds United condemns this behaviour in the strongest possible terms. There is no place for racism in football or society.”

“The club will work with the Premier League and relevant authorities to identify the individuals and push for the strongest possible action to be taken against them.”

“Jayden has the full and unconditional support of the club and his team-mates, and we all stand with him at this time. Nobody should ever be subjected to racist abuse.”

Tottenham issued their own statement on Sunday. The club said it had been disgusted by the abuse suffered by Bogle and offered its support in identifying those responsible.

“We will pursue every available avenue to ensure they are identified and face the full consequences of their actions,” the statement read.

It continued: “Regardless of club allegiances and on-pitch results, no-one should ever stand alone in the face of this.”

A Pattern Tottenham Know Well

This is not the first time this year that a player involved in a Tottenham game has been abused online after a Premier League match. Spurs defender Kevin Danso was targeted with vile abuse in April, the weekend after Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey was racially abused following an incident in a match against Spurs.

That followed four incidents over one weekend in February, when Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle were all targeted. Those cases led to a police investigation by the UK Football Policing Unit.

The scale of the problem is growing. Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out said in April that reports of online abuse were at record levels, up by a third on the previous season. Mike Ankers, deputy director of the UK Football Policing Unit, told Radio 5 Live at that time that the unit had seen an increase of about 115% in the number of reports of online abuse.

Identifying the people behind such accounts can lead somewhere. In January 2025, a 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications over online abuse of Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and his wife.

What Happens Next

Leeds have committed to working with the Premier League and the relevant authorities to identify those behind the posts. Tottenham have said they will pursue every available avenue to see those responsible identified. Bogle, who has scored one goal and played in all 10 of Leeds’ Premier League games this season, has the backing of both clubs.

The refereeing complaint will run on its own track, with Tottenham waiting on Pro Ref for an explanation of the decision. The abuse is a different question, and on that one Leeds and Tottenham have given the same answer.