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Tamworth FC striker 'not surprised' to receive vile racist message after Tottenham FA Cup match

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A Tamworth FC footballer has said he is "shocked... but not surprised" to receive racist abuse after his team lost to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Chris Wreh, 28, said in a post on X: "After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram. Never the less, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal."

He included a screenshot of an Instagram message he received with several racist insults after Tamworth lost 3-0 to Tottenham in the third round FA Cup tie at the Lamb Ground.

Mr Wreh told Sky News that he was "shocked and disappointed more than anything".

"But I wasn't overly surprised by it as it [is] something that we see regularly when black players do something 'wrong'.

"I'm a strong character and try not to let things bother me because there are so many things that are wrong in the world and so many people suffering but it's still not right or nice.

"But it's good to call people out so that it can obviously stop it happening again and also, it shows their character and people can now make a real judgement of them."

Mr Wreh added that he believed racism in football "never seems to go away if you do bad [or] don't win".

He said: "For example on my issue, if we had won or if I scored and he [the sender of the message] didn't lose his bet, I would not have been racially abused like that, but is that right? Absolutely not.

"But it's sad because it's the world we live in. Or like on a bigger scale the likes of Saka, Sancho, who were loved one minute and hated the next - simply because of the colour of our skin," he said.

The Instagram account that the message is purported to come from appears to have been deleted.

Mr Wreh said the Metropolitan Police contacted him after he posted on X, while Staffordshire Police says it is liaising with Tamworth FC.

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In a statement to Sky News, the Staffordshire force said: "We're aware of a social media message involving racist abuse that was sent online to a player following the FA Cup match between Tamworth and Tottenham Hotspur yesterday.

"Officers are continuing to liaise with Tamworth Football Club and national policing partners as part of their initial enquiries and plans to support the victim moving forward.

"Racist abuse will never be tolerated and officers will thoroughly investigate any reports as robustly as possible to ensure those responsible are dealt with accordingly."

Sky News has contacted Meta, which owns Instagram, and Tamworth FC for comment.

Mr Wreh, 28, joined National League side Tamworth in 2023. The striker has also played for Hartlepool United, Southend United and Banbury United.

Mr Wreh's father Christopher, 49, was part of the Arsenal side that won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997-98 season. The ex-striker also won 36 caps for Liberia.

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Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suspended for seven games over alleged racist remark about teammate Son Heung-min

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Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been given a seven-match ban for an alleged racist remark made about South Korean teammate Son Heung-min in a TV interview.

The Uruguayan midfielder, 27, was charged by the Football Association on 12 September after an interview on the Uruguayan TV channel Canal 10 in June that showed Bentancur being asked by the host to show the shirt of a Spurs player.

The former Juventus player replied: "Sonny's? It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

He swiftly apologised to Son on Instagram, saying it was a "very bad joke" and he would "never disrespect you or hurt you".

Son accepted his apology, saying that his teammate had made a mistake and "would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive".

"We are brothers and nothing has changed at all," Son said in June. "We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in preseason to fight for our club as one."

But due to this being an "aggravated breach", an independent regulatory commission panel were required to either uphold the FA charge or dismiss the case.

Bentancur was fined £100,0000 and will sit out Tottenham's next seven domestic fixtures, but will be able to feature for the club in upcoming Europa League matches with Roma and Rangers.

The FA also ordered Bentancur to attend a "face-to-face education program", details of which will be provided later. The course should be completed by 11 March next year.

"If the player fails to complete the program satisfactorily in that period, he will be immediately suspended from all domestic club football until such time as the mandatory programme is completed," the FA said.

An FA spokesperson said: "It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It was further alleged that this constitutes an 'aggravated breach', which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference - whether express or implied - to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

"Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent regulatory commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing."

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Pearl Jam cancel stadium gig on eve of event due to 'illness in the band' - and it will not be rescheduled

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Pearl Jam cancel stadium gig on eve of event due to 'illness in the band' - and it will not be rescheduled - Sky News
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Pearl Jam have cancelled their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gig on the eve of the event because of "illness in the band".

Fronted by Eddie Vedder, they were due to play the London stadium on Saturday but said in a statement on Friday on Instagram that there was "no other option" but to cancel.

Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase, and stadium officials said the concert will not be rescheduled "despite best efforts".

Standing tickets for the gig on the Dark Matter Tour, which sees the band supported by former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and Irish indie rockers The Murder Capital, have been priced at £135.

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The 90s alternative rock band's statement on Instagram read: "The Pearl Jam concert scheduled for Saturday, 29 June, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London has regrettably been cancelled due to illness in the band.

"This decision was the last thing we wanted to have to make, especially as we know so many of you made travel plans based on the tour schedule. There was simply no other option based on our current health and also having to avoid further damage.

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"We couldn't be more disappointed to not play one of our favourite cities this tour. Despite best efforts, rescheduling was not possible at this time due to existing schedule commitments.

"We are deeply grateful for your support and sincerely apologise to the incredible Pearl Jam community for the inconvenience and disappointment."

The venue has not confirmed whether it will be refunding ticket holders' fees - with some having paid more than £20.

On refunds for hotel and travel costs, the stadium has told gig goers to refer to the terms and conditions of providers.

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Spurs player Rodrigo Bentancur apologises for racist joke about teammate Son Heung-min

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Spurs player Rodrigo Bentancur apologises for racist joke about teammate Son Heung-min - Sky News
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Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has said teammate Rodrigo Bentancur knows he "made a mistake" after making racist joke about him.

Bentancur was asked on Uruguayan TV for a Spurs player's shirt, to which he replied: "Sonny's? It could be Sonny's cousin too, as they all look the same."

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a "significant number" of complaints.

The Uruguayan midfielder apologised on social media, describing it as a "very bad joke", with Son later saying the pair were "brothers" and "nothing has changed at all".

Tottenham said in a statement: "We fully support that our captain Sonny feels that he can draw a line under the incident and that the team can focus on the new season ahead.

"We are extremely proud of our diverse, global fanbase and playing squads. Discrimination of any kind has no place at our club, within our game or within wider society."

In the same post, the club quotes Son as saying: "I've spoken with Lolo (Bentancur). He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised.

"Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.

"We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."

Bentancur had previously posted: "Sonny brother! I apologise to you for what happened, it was just a very bad joke."

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Spurs's Premier League season kicks off at newly promoted Leicester City on 19 August, followed by games against Everton, Newcastle and arch-enemy Arsenal.

Bentancur is currently preparing to represent Uruguay at this summer's Copa America in the US, which starts on 20 June.

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Getir quits UK with multimillion pound Tottenham Hotspur debt

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Getir quits UK with multimillion pound Tottenham Hotspur debt - Sky News
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Getir, the grocery delivery app which this month confirmed plans to exit the UK, has an outstanding debt to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club running to millions of pounds.

Sky News understands that Turkey-based Getir, whose three-year training kit sponsorship deal with Spurs expired at the end of the Premier League season on Sunday, owes close to £5m to the club.

News of the outstanding debt comes as Getir tries to access a tranche of agreed funding from major investors Mubadala and G Squared to help facilitate its withdrawal from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

It was unclear this weekend whether the delivery app, which means "to bring" in Turkish, has the means to settle its financial obligations to Spurs.

The company once attained a valuation of almost £10bn, but has been forced by its deteriorating finances to retrench back to its home market, in the process axing thousands of jobs.

Its withdrawal from the UK has put about 1,500 jobs at risk, Sky News revealed earlier this month.

Companies such as Getir were big winners during the pandemic, attracting funding at astronomical valuations.

Its decline highlights the slumping valuations of technology companies once-hailed as the new titans of food retailing.

Many of its rivals have already gone bust, while others have been swallowed up as part of a desperate wave of consolidation.

Getir itself bought Gorillas in a $1.2bn stock-based deal that closed in December 2022.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Spurs would be 'offended' by claim they don't want to win crucial match

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Spurs would be 'offended' by claim they don't want to win crucial match - Sky News
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Tottenham Hotspur will play Manchester City tomorrow - but a win for the north London side would gift their rivals, Arsenal, a better chance of winning the Premier League.

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