A man has been arrested over racist abuse posted after the Euro 2020 final.
The 42-year-old from Runcorn was detained by police on Wednesday in connection with a social media post following England’s defeat to Italy.
He was arrested on suspicion of displaying threatening, abusive or insulting written material likely to stir up racial hatred under the 1986 public order act.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all subjected to racial abuse on social media after their penalty misses in the Wembley showpiece.
Mark Roberts, chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary and the NPCC Lead for football policing, said: “Hate crime in any form is simply not acceptable.
“The racial abuse aimed at our own players following Sunday night’s game was totally abhorrent and has quite rightly shocked and appalled people across the country.
“Those in the England team have been true role models throughout the tournament, conducting themselves with professionalism and dignity.
“I’m disgusted that there are a number of individuals out there who think it’s acceptable to direct such abuse at them, or at anybody else, and we are working very closely with social media platforms to trace those responsible for these utterly vile messages.
“I want to make it clear to anyone thinking of doing anything similar that you cannot simply hide behind a computer screen, using pseudo names to conceal your identity – rest assured that we will track you down and you will face the consequences of your reprehensible actions.”