Spurs release further statement on alleged Antonio Rudiger racism incident

Tottenham Hotspur have released a statement to update supporters on the alleged racism incident involving Antonio Rudiger.

Tottenham previously said that their initial findings following the alleged racist abuse of Rudiger were “inconclusive” – but a Chelsea fan was arrested for allegedly abusing Son Heung-min (Daily Mail).

Play was stopped during Chelsea’s win at Spurs in North London prior to Christmas after the defender said he heard monkey noises coming from a section located within the home support.

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta told referee Anthony Taylor of Rudiger’s complaint during the second half of the Premier League fixture.

Last week, The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) called for a “clear statement” from the club and the Metropolitan Police regarding the incident in order to either clear the reputation of the Spurs fans or to bring anyone found guilty to justice.

Spurs have now released a further statement to confirm they and the Met Police cannot find any proof of racism having occurred.

The statement said: “The Club and the Metropolitan Police have now exhausted all avenues of investigation following the reported incident at our home fixture against Chelsea on 22 December.

“We carried out extensive reviews of CCTV images and footage, working with professional lip readers. All materials and reports have now also been reviewed by the police who have carried out their own investigation.

“The police have notified us today that, having reviewed and investigated, they have closed the crime report as they can find no evidence to support the allegation of racial abuse.

“We fully support Antonio Rudiger with the action that he took – however there is no evidence to corroborate or contradict the allegation and as such neither ourselves nor the police are in a position to take any further action.

“We are fiercely proud of our anti-racism work and our zero tolerance of any form of discrimination. This is one reason why we have attributed so much time and resource to investigating this matter. Had we identified anyone guilty of this we were intent on issuing them with a lifetime ban from our stadium as they would have no place among our proud, diverse fan base.

“If any new information comes to light, this will be fully investigated.”