It wouldn’t be unfair to assume that when a player moves from the Premier League to Belgium’s Jupiler League that the level of harassment from online trolls would calm down a lot.
For Tottenham fan favourite Toby Alderweireld, that hasn’t been the case and he’s had some of his most serious online abuse since since leaving Spurs and returning to his home country.
Alderweireld is obviously a big name in the Belgian pro league, thanks to his six years with Tottenham and, previous to Spurs, time with Atletico Madrid.
Therefore, when a troll is angry with Royal Antwerp, the big defender becomes a target. The 35-year-old has been speaking to HLN as he helps publicise a Belgian FA campaign which aims to highlight and stop such abuse.
An anonymous troll sent a threat to kidnap Alderweireld’s four-year-old daughter, and HLN quote him as saying: “Online hate is really a bridge too far. It certainly wasn’t the first time my family had been threatened. It just happened so specifically, with such detailed words, that I had to do something. I would never have forgiven myself if I had not taken any action there. I thought it was important that something actually happened.
“I know how to put everything into perspective. I understand that some fans have a passion for their own club. If that club loses, I understand that you can sometimes be angry. That you take to your social media to send something. But there are limits, I think. Threatening someone is a bridge too far. I cannot accept that.”
Any Tottenham fans wanting to find out more can check out ComeTogether.be.
