A 12-year-old boy was arrested by police after Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha highlighted racist abuse he received ahead of Sunday's Premier League match at Aston Villa.
Zaha posted the screenshots on Twitter with the message: “Woke up to this today.”
The racist messages and imagery referencing Zaha being Black were sent on Instagram from a user who referenced Villa in his name.
Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Catherine IvillPool Photo via AP)
“We were alerted to a series of racist messages sent to a footballer today and after looking into them and conducting checks, we have arrested a boy,” West Midlands Police said on Twitter. “The 12-year-old from Solihull has been taken to custody. Thanks to everyone who raised it. Racism won’t be tolerated.”
Before kickoff at Villa Park, Zaha — like all players in recent weeks — took a knee as part of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports