On Tuesday, a Newcastle court banned a man from football stadiums for three years after posting racist slurs on social media to Brentford footballer Ivan Tony.
Antonio Neil, 24, sent messages to Ivan Toni on October 14, 2022, and the footballer himself shared them to denounce the situation that many players face daily on social media.
Neil pleaded guilty in a Newcastle court and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, as well as four months’ suspended prison if he did not re-offend within the next two years.
Brentford and Northumberland Police called the verdict “a milestone in the law”.
For several years now, the Premier League, along with other English football organizations, has been trying to reduce the abuse that footballers receive on social networks, for which they have contacted various platforms in order to pursue violators.