Tottenham’s Son Heung-min looks on against Crystal Palace.
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CNN
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Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have both condemned alleged racial abuse towards South Korean forward Son Heung-min after the teams faced each other on Saturday.
In a statement on Sunday, Crystal Palace said the club is “aware of a video circulating online (as well as reports made directly to us) regarding an individual in the away end at Spurs yesterday, appearing to make racist gestures towards Heung-Min Son.”
The statement added: “Evidence has been shared with the police, and when he is identified, he will face a club ban. We will not tolerate such behaviour in our club.”
In response to an inquiry about Saturday’s game, a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police told CNN that it is investigating allegations of racial abuse.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 16: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace looks on during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on July 16, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Glyn Kirk/Pool via Getty Images)
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“Officers are carrying out enquiries,” the spokesperson said. “No arrests have been made at this time.”
Tottenham said it was aware of the alleged incident and called discrimination of any kind “abhorrent.”
“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action – as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea,” Spurs said in a statement on Sunday.
Last August, Chelsea said the club had identified and banned a season ticket holder “indefinitely” after reports emerged that Son was racially abused during a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.
On Sunday, the Premier League said in a tweet that it “condemns all forms of discrimination” and that “no one should have to suffer abuse of the kind received by Heung-Min Son.”
Tottenham defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 to move up to sixth in the Premier League table thanks to Harry Kane’s header at the end of the first half.
That took Kane to 209 Premier League goals as he moved to second in the league’s all-time scoring list ahead of Wayne Rooney.