Tottenham have condemned the "disgraceful" and “cowardly” racist abuse sent to forward

Tottenham Condemn Cowardly Racist Abuse Towards Jessica Naz After Aston Villa Cup Clash

Tottenham Hotspur have spoken out in strong and unequivocal terms after forward Jessica Naz was targeted with vile racist abuse on social media following the club’s Women’s League Cup victory over Aston Villa. The 24-year-old, who has been a key figure for Spurs this season, took to Instagram to reveal that she had been sent hateful messages in her direct messages after the game.

The incident has once again placed the issue of racism in football under the spotlight, with Tottenham vowing to take action against those responsible while offering their full support to their player.

Jessica Naz Speaks Out After Aston Villa Tie

Jessica Naz Tottenham 2025-26

The match itself was a tense affair. Tottenham were held to a goalless draw by Villa at Brisbane Road, and penalties were needed to separate the two sides. Spurs eventually held their nerve, winning 7-6 in a dramatic shootout, but the focus after the game quickly shifted away from the football.

Naz, who started the match but was substituted before full-time, revealed that she had been subjected to racist abuse shortly after the final whistle. Writing on Instagram, she said:

“I was going to wait till after the game to speak because I’m done being quiet. I was subjected to racial abuse in my DMs. Racism in any form is unacceptable and it is important to address this behaviour and ensure that steps are taken to prevent it from happening again.”

Naz’s decision to go public with the abuse she faced was met with an outpouring of support from fans and players alike, with many praising her courage for calling out the perpetrators and refusing to stay silent.

Tottenham’s Strong Statement of Support

Jess Carter England Euro 2025

Tottenham responded quickly, issuing a firm statement condemning the abuse and pledging to work with authorities and social media platforms to track down those responsible.

“The club is disgusted by the racist abuse received by Jessica Naz via social media,” Spurs said. “Jess has spoken out against this disgraceful behaviour – and we stand by her in calling out this unacceptable and cowardly act. We are working with the appropriate authorities and social media platforms to identify the responsible party, and we will be taking the strongest action against them. There is no place for racism in our sport or anywhere in society. We stand with Jess.”

It was an important message from a club that has been vocal in its stance against discrimination. Spurs have previously backed both men’s and women’s players who have been subjected to online hate, but this latest incident underlines how much work remains to be done in tackling racism in football.

Jessica Naz’s Key Role at Spurs

Naz joined Tottenham from Arsenal back in 2018 and has been a consistent performer ever since, becoming one of the cornerstones of the club’s attack. This season, she has started every game in both the Women’s Super League and the League Cup, underlining her value to the team.

At international level, she has six England caps but narrowly missed out on selection for the Lionesses squad that went on to win Euro 2025. Her performances this season suggest that another call-up could be on the horizon – provided she can continue her form and stay focused amid the off-pitch challenges that this incident has brought.

Racism Remains a Football-Wide Issue

Sadly, Naz’s experience is far from an isolated one. Racism continues to cast a shadow over the sport, despite years of campaigns, educational programs, and awareness efforts.

During Euro 2025, England defender Jess Carter – who plays for Gotham FC – spoke about her own experience of abuse online and even made the decision to withdraw from social media altogether. “Racism is not just a feature in football, it’s in workplaces, it’s in day-to-day life,” she said at the time. “The dos and don’ts to me seem pretty obvious, but there’s a lot of people that don’t understand. I don’t have all the answers. I think that firstly we need to educate people more.”

England manager Sarina Wiegman also weighed in, suggesting that symbolic gestures such as taking the knee were no longer enough. “Taking the knee, that’s not enough,” Wiegman told BBC Sport. “We have done that for a while. The impact is not good enough, it’s not as big as we think. When there is this form of racism we felt we have to do something else, something different, so that’s why we are not taking the knee.”

Midfielder Georgia Stanway echoed her manager’s comments, adding: “We feel like it has gone past that now. We feel it is still happening even when we are taking the knee. We have decided that we will stand and we will not do that. We think that is a way of making change in itself because we want to get people talking – we want to tell people that what is being done isn’t enough.”

The Need for Action Beyond Words

Tottenham’s statement and Naz’s public stance are important steps, but players and campaigners have long argued that stronger measures are needed – from stricter punishments for offenders to holding social media companies accountable for allowing such abuse to spread.

Naz’s courage in speaking out will hopefully encourage others to do the same, but the ultimate goal is clear: to create an environment where players no longer have to face this kind of hatred in the first place.

For now, Spurs and their supporters will continue to rally around Naz, while football as a whole is left with yet another reminder of the work still required to drive racism out of the game – once and for all.