Gardai have launched an investigation into racist messages that were sent from an Irish teenager's Instagram account to former footballer Ian Wright.
Former Arsenal and England striker Wright revealed the vile abuse via his Twitter account yesterday.
Wright shared a number of racial slurs that he received, messages of hate for his family and a message that said "If I get corona I will cough in your face."
Wright's post has received 18,000 retweets and 16,000 responses.
The Gardai released a statement to say they were:
"Investigating an incident where abusive / racist comments have been re-posted on social media platforms. No formal complaint has been received, but an investigation has commenced into the comments in line with our Diversity and Integration Strategy. A male adult teenager presented voluntarily at a Garda Station and has been interviewed. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. An Garda Siochana are appealing to the public not to engage in social media commentary in relation to this matter."
Former Aston Villa player Gabriel Agbonlahor has also been the victim of online racial abuse.
Kick It Out released a statement to say:
"We are appalled during this very trying time by the disgraceful abuse directed at Ian Wright and Gabriel Agbonlahor and their families. Racial hate speech and violent threats are totally unacceptable, but have become sadly normalised on social media.
"Whilst we continue to collaborate with social media platforms to ensure a safer user experience for all, these cases should be investigated by law enforcement and the abusers should face criminal sanctions."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
