Blyth man who racially abused England striker Ivan Toney banned from every football stadium

Antonio Neill was given a three-year football banning order on 13 March after racially abusing Brentford player Ivan Toney. Credit: Northumbria Police

A man who racially abused a Premier League footballer on social media has been banned from every stadium in the country in a landmark ruling.

Antonio Neill, 24, sent racist messages to Brentford striker Ivan Toney on 14 October 2022 and police began an investigation after Toney shared it on his social media.

Officers treated the incident as a hate crime and traced the message to an address in North Shields, North Tyneside.

The racist messages were sent to Toney following Brentford’s 2-0 win against Brighton in October 2022. Credit: PA

Neill, of Robert Street, Blyth, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on 25 January 2023.

He was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and a three-year football banning order on 13 March.

Northumbria Police said the banning order is the first of its kind to be issued under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The legislation widened the scope for banning orders to be issued for online hate crimes that are linked to football.

The order forbids Neill from attending any regulated football match in the UK, which includes Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two and National League fixtures, as well as England home internationals.

The banning order also prevents him from travelling abroad to watch international friendlies, qualification matches and tournaments.

Superintendent Scott Cowie, hate crime lead for Northumbria Police, said: “Discrimination has absolutely no place in any society, whether out in our communities or online.

“I am therefore delighted that the seriousness of Neill’s offence has been reflected with this banning order, the first of its kind to be issued in the UK.

“I hope this reinforces our commitment to taking action against anybody who commits a hate crime – it will not be tolerated and we will do all we can to put perpetrators before the courts.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: "If you are going to choose to be vile and abusive to others, doing it from behind a computer screen or on your phone doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it, far from it."As this case shows, Northumbria Police can track you down and I hope this banning order demonstrates how seriously officers take hate matters and that it paves the way for other offenders to face similar punishment in future."This is a first and I am proud of Northumbria’s involvement in making it happen.”

Brentford Football Club released a statement following the hearing, which said: "Court appearances set a strong precedent for anyone else who commits hate crimes and it is our hope that sentences increase in severity until this sort of crime is eradicated."Ivan Toney has been subject to sickening racist abuse on a regular basis, and we want to see tough action taken against anyone found guilty of such abuse.

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