'They're cowards' - Ange Postecoglou blasts online trolls for vitriol and abuse | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou wants authorities to "make examples" of anonymous online trolls who are guilty of subjecting players, managers and referees to vile threats and abuse.

Premier League referee Michael Oliver was placed under police protection after a huge backlash stemming from his decision to send off Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves for a tackle he deemed to be serious foul play. The automatic three-match ban the 18-year-old was set to serve was subsequently rescinded upon appeal.

The substantial abuse and threats made towards Oliver online, on social media platforms such as X and Instagram, is unfortunately nothing new, with players often targeted by disgruntled supporters who are able to send messages anonymously without fear of repercussions.

Speaking to the media, Postecoglou, who has faced a wave of criticism himself amid Tottenham's sustained run of poor form, insisted there are some "pretty easy things" that can be done to start combating the abuse online, starting with removing the ability to withhold a person's identity.

"What can we do about it? Well there's some pretty easy things to do about it, which is punish the people who are the perpetrators of it and make examples of them," Postecoglou said.

Ange Postecoglou took a firm stance against online trolls this week / Richard Pelham/GettyImages

"Unfortunately the anonymity of the technology world nowadays means people can hide and allow themselves bravado they would never have if they put their face and name to something, so they're cowards to start with. But if found out, name them, shame them, put them out there and we'll see if anyone else follows suit after that.

Postecoglou added that laws were put in place before the days of social media to prevent individuals from being targeted in this way, with the problem now seemingly out of control as society accepts the perils of modern technology.

He continued: "But there should be no tolerance for anybody, whether it's a referee, player or anybody else. I think it's been out of hand for a long while now and we're too accepting of it as part of society.

"We'd never have accepted it before social media if someone said something like that and we knew who said or wrote it. There were laws that made it almost impossible to do. But now, because they hide behind this cloak of anonymity, the cowards have a voice."