Palace player Zaha racially abused; 12-year-old arrested

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha reacts during their English Premier League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham on Sunday. Photo: Catherine Ivill/AP

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha reacts during their English Premier League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham on Sunday. Photo: Catherine Ivill/AP

Published Jul 12, 2020

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BIRMINGHAM – A 12-year-old boy was arrested by police after Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha highlighted racist abuse he received ahead of Sunday's Premier League match at Aston Villa.

Zaha posted the screenshots on Twitter with the message: “Woke up to this today.”

The racist messages and imagery referencing Zaha being Black were sent on Instagram from a user who referenced Villa in his name.

“We were alerted to a series of racist messages sent to a footballer today and after looking into them and conducting checks, we have arrested a boy,” West Midlands Police said on Twitter. “The 12-year-old from Solihull has been taken to custody. Thanks to everyone who raised it. Racism won’t be tolerated.”

Before kickoff at Villa Park, Zaha – like all players in recent weeks – took a knee as part of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Relegation threatened Aston Villa were too strong for the Eagles and ended up winning 2-0 thanks to two goals from Egyptian forward Trezequet.

AP

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