Merseyside Police are investigating after allegations of racist abuse towards families of two Brentford footballers.
The Bees were in Premier League action earlier today, beating Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park. Frank Lampard's men had a 2-1 lead at the break but were already a man down after Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off in the first half.
After the final whistle, two Brentford stars took to social media to expose apparent racist abuse directed at their loved ones this afternoon.
Striker Ivan Toney tweeted tonight: "And for the man that racially abused my family [I'll] do everything I can to get you the punishment you deserve!"
The official Everton twitter account replied to Toney shortly after to say: "There is no place in football - or society - for racism. We are assisting Merseyside Police to ensure the individual is identified and dealt with appropriately."
Defender Rico Henry fired in the winner for Brentford to complete their 3-2 comeback.
He also posted an account of apparent abuse, saying: "I never usually speak out on things that don’t physically harm me or my family but to see my mom upset after being racially abused...brought fire to my stomach!"
In a separate tweet, Henry added: "I will do anything for them & whatever it takes to get the small minority punished! This is not acceptable & must be investigated immediately."
Just before 10.30pm tonight, Brentford's official twitter account posted a statement which read: "We are aware of an incident where racist abuse was directed towards family members of our players. A report has been made to both the police and to Everton FC.
"Brentford FC condemns all forms of discrimination and racist abuse in the strongest possible terms. We will offer our support to Rico’s and Ivan’s families and will fully co-operate with the investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings."
Detective Inspector for Merseyside Police, Catherine Cox said: “No matter what football team you support, there is absolutely no place for hate anywhere in Merseyside under any circumstances. Merseyside Police has investigated and successfully prosecuted so-called fans for racial abuse inside football stadia, and offenders have been handed football banning orders along with a criminal record for their behaviour.
“We will support the victims in this case and work with Everton Football Club to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Their views and their abuse is not welcome here in Merseyside, and they do not represent the overwhelming majority of football fans.
“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage any football fans with information on racial abuse to speak with officers or stewards at the ground, or call 101 so we can identify and locate offenders, and ensure they face the consequences of their actions.”
The ECHO has approached Everton for further detail on the allegations.
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact Merseyside Police their social media desk on their Twitter @MerPolCC or their Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ quoting reference 22000333944 or 22000334108. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information. You can report any hate crime via the same channels.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf
You can report an incident of discrimination in football - whether it took place online or at a grassroots, non-league or professional game – by downloading the Kick It Out app. You can also report any incidents via their online form here: https://www.kickitout.org/forms/online-reporting-form.
