Ivan Toney: Brentford striker contacted by police after racist Instagram message

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been contacted by police after he was racially abused on social media following Friday’s 2-0 victory over Brighton.

Toney produced a man-of-the-match performance on his 100th Brentford appearance, scoring two goals, but his impressive display was marred by an abusive message received on Instagram after the game.

The 26-year-old took to Twitter to share a screenshot of the abuse, writing: “I wasn’t even going to post this but I woke up angry…”

The Metropolitan Police told Sky Sports News they have contacted Tone.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Nobody should receive racist messages such as this. We have sent a message to the victim asking him to contact police.”

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Brentford’s win against Brighton in the Premier League.

The abuse directed at Toney, which came during in the second week of the Premier League’s ‘No Room for Racism’ campaign, drew widespread condemnation from the footballing community, with Brentford and the Premier League issuing statements.

“Last night, Ivan Toney was subjected to disgusting, racist abuse via a direct message received on social media,” a Brentford statement read.

“We condemn this discriminatory behaviour in the strongest possible terms. An attack on one of our players is an attack on all of us.

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“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 Premier League said it would support Brentford’s investigation, adding in a statement: “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.”