A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications after racist and abusive messages were sent to England defender Jess Carter, police have confirmed.
The suspect, from Great Harwood, Lancashire, has been released under investigation.
Cheshire Police said that during the Uefa Women’s Euros in July they received reports that racist and abusive messages had been sent to Ms Carter.
The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) launched an investigation with social media companies to identify who was responsible.
Officers from Lancashire Police on Thursday arrested the man on suspicion of malicious communications in relation to some of the messages.
Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) lead for football policing, said: “The messages directed towards Jess Carter were appalling, and I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation.
“Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and I expect that today’s arrest will be the first of many over the coming months.
“We want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated. Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and we want to ensure offenders cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments.”
Ms Carter had admitted she was scared to play in the Euro 2025 final after suffering abuse and thanked her teammates for their support.
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