Man, 31, charged with hurling vile racist abuse at Rio Ferdinand during Man U v Wolves match
A MAN has today been charged with racially abusing former England star Rio Ferdinand during a match at Wolves' home ground.
Jamie Arnold is accused of using racist words and gestures towards the football pundit at the game between Wolves and United in May.
Arnold, 31, from Stone, Staffordshire, has also been charged with making homophobic comments.
He will appear at Dudley Magistrates Court on July 29.
It was the first game where a reduced number of supporters were allowed into the ground following the easing of Covid lockdown restrictions.
The investigation has been led by West Midlands Police PC Stuart Ward who was appointed the UK’s first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit.
'RACIST WORDS'
It comes as police made other arrests this week after racist posts were directed at England players following Sunday's Euro 2020 defeat.
A police spokesman said: "We've charged a man with racially abusing football pundit Rio Ferdinand when fans returned to Molineux for the first time in over a year.
"Jamie Arnold is accused of racist words and gestures towards the former England international player during the match between Wolves and Manchester United in May.
"The 31-year-old from Stone, Staffordshire, has also been charged with making homophobic comments and will appear before Dudley Magistrates Court on 29 July.
"It was the first game where a reduced number of supporters were allowed into the ground following the easing of Covid lockdown restrictions.
"The investigation has been led by Pc Stuart Ward who was appointed the UK's first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit.
"He is at the forefront of our unit's ongoing work to stamp out any abuse against footballers and fans."
Source: Read Full Article