Kevin Danso says racist abuse will not change how he plays, after Tottenham condemned the online attack aimed at him following the 2-2 draw against Brighton on 18 April and reported it to police. The defender said speaking out mattered this time. He also said the abuse does not belong in football.

Why Danso chose to speak out

Danso said he had faced racist abuse before when he was very young, but did not tell anybody then. This time, he wanted to address it directly.

"The last time I did experience it, I was very young and I didn't tell anybody about it," Danso told bbc.co.uk. "I feel like this time it was important to say something, just address it and make sure that people are aware I've seen it."

He was even firmer on the football side of it. "It's not going to make me play any different and definitely there's no need for it and basically you're wasting your time," he said.

Danso, who played for Augsburg and Lens before joining Tottenham permanently in May 2025, also said he had learned how to deal with racism after growing up in Austria, where he faced it quite a bit in a predominantly white country. "It just doesn't define me and it doesn't belong in the world of football," he said.

Tottenham's response and the wider context

Tottenham called the abuse "vile, dehumanising racism" after the Brighton match and sent it to the police. The incident came during the Premier League's No Room For Racism campaign in April.

The Premier League also backed that position. "Anybody who chooses to abuse others is not welcome in our game and they are not a true fan," the governing body said.

The wider football point is not complicated. Danso has made 21 Premier League appearances in 2025 and played 1241 minutes, so this is not a player on the edge of the squad or short on exposure. He has been part of Tottenham's defence regularly, and his response was measured and clear. The abuse is the story here, and Danso's refusal to let it stick is the part that matters most.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →