Eight people have been arrested in the Premier League in connection with the racist abuse of Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son

Premier League: The abuse towards Heung-min Son was detected through Manchester United’s online reporting tool and flagged to local police.

Police detained eight individuals on suspicion of tweeting racial insults towards South Korean player Heung-min Son, who plays for Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur. In the two-week police investigation that followed Tottenham’s 3-1 loss to Manchester United on April 11, four more individuals were questioned.

“The twelve people have all been arrested or interrogated under caution on suspicion of using words or behavior or exhibiting written material with the goal to incite racial hate,” the Metropolitan Police stated. After a Manchester United goal was controversially called out, the South Korean striker, 28, was targeted.

This week, arrests were made at sites throughout England and Wales. In Poole, Dorset, one guy was detained, and another in Hartlepool, County Durham. Only one of the twelve was from Greater Manchester. The arrests were made as part of a Met investigation after allegations were made to Greater Manchester Police via United’s online reporting mechanism. Ten of the 12 individuals held by police were in their twenties, one was 32, and one was 63.

The participation of the police comes after a concerted push by players, clubs, and regulatory organizations to compel action on racial abuse directed at players online. Three weeks ago, there was a widely noted four-day social media boycott with the goal of forcing internet firms to tighten their policies and respond harshly to offenders.

Chief constable Mark Roberts, England’s national football policing head, praised the arrests and said this is a  good way to set an example by the police service’s dedication in combating footballer internet abuse.

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