Republic of Ireland international Cyrus Christie claims he has been racially abused for months online.
Gardai are investigating two tweets sent to the defender after the defeat to Denmark last Tuesday which urged Christie to go to play for Jamaica and talked of lynching the 25-year-old.
The defender took to twitter to address the remarks and claimed that this was not an isolated incident.
The Coventry born Irish defender qualifies for Ireland through his granny who grew up in Dublin's North Wall.
In a statement posted on twitter Christie said there have been a number of racist comments directed at him on social media during Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign.
Christie says it is deeply saddening that racist abuse exists in the game and has urged everyone to stand up against it.
— Cyrus Christie (@cyruschristie) November 20, 2017
“Firstly, I’d like to say I am extremely proud to represent my country, the Republic of Ireland, and give everything I can each time I put on the green shirt”
“I genuinely believe our fans are some of the best in the world.
“However, there have been a number of racist comments, which have been brought to my attention during the World Cup qualifying campaign over the last couple of months and, most recently, last week.
“These comments are not representative of our fans or our sport. We were all deeply upset to not reach the World Cup finals and are hurting just as much as everyone else.
“It is deeply saddening that racism is still part of the game we all enjoy and love. I strongly believe we need to stand up against these individuals who do not belong in football or any other sport.”
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