This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
On Sunday, Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha was subjected to a series of racist messages on social media before his side's Premier League defeat at Aston Villa. The messages, which were posted on Instagram, were later shared by Zaha on Twitter.
West Midlands Police confirmed that they had arrested a 12-year-old boy from Solihull in relation to the incident. The boy was taken into custody and the police thanked everyone who raised the issue, stating that 'racism won't be tolerated.'
Aston Villa condemned the abuse and vowed to issue a lifetime ban to the perpetrator. The club also expressed their support for Zaha and Crystal Palace, stating that they 'stand with @CPFC' and 'condemn all forms of racial discrimination.'
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson spoke out against the abuse, calling it 'cowardly and despicable.' He also praised Zaha for making the messages public, saying that it was 'right that Wilf made people aware of it.'
The incident comes two weeks after the Premier League launched a new system to allow players to report online abuse. The Premier League has since stated that they 'stand alongside @wilfriedzaha in opposing this, and discrimination in any form. There is NoRoomForRacism, anywhere.'
