Man arrested over racial abuse of footballer Cole

Police have arrested a man accused of racially abusing former England footballer Ashley Cole during an FA Cup third-round tie.

A 24-year-old is in custody on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, Wiltshire Police said yesterday. Cole, who played left-back for Arsenal and Chelsea, was part of the ITV broadcast team when Swindon Town played Manchester City at the County Ground this month.

The incident reportedly occurred near where the TV pundits were based. Superintendent Phil Staynings said: “Racial abuse of any kind will never be tolerated.”