Man arrested over alleged racist abuse aimed at Ashley Cole in FA Cup tie

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 on Saturday.

Cole, who played left-back for Arsenal and Chelsea during a lengthy top-flight career, was part of the ITV broadcast team when Swindon Town played Manchester City County Ground earlier this month.

The incident reportedly occurred in the corner between the Town End and the Don Rogers stand, where the ITV punditry team was based.

Superintendent Phil Staynings, Swindon commander, said: "Racial abuse of any kind will never be tolerated by Wiltshire Police.

"We have worked closely with the football club, who share our strong stance on this, and would like to thank them for their support in our ongoing investigation.

"We continue to encourage people to report these types of incidents and I'm pleased that my officers have been relentless in securing this positive arrest.

"We will continue to work with the club to stamp out hate crime of any kind that spoils matches for the majority of supporters."

Premier League champions City eased past League Two Swindon 4-1 during the match on January 7.

Swindon owner Clem Morfuni said after the initial police investigation was opened: "We are absolutely saddened and deeply disgusted by this, and we cannot stress strongly enough that racial abuse of any kind will not be tolerated by Swindon Town FC.

"Racism has no place in the world, and it is incredibly heartbreaking that this still has a place in our game. We are currently working with Wiltshire police on gathering evidence, but those responsible will be punished accordingly.

"On behalf of everyone at Swindon Town FC, we send out our heartfelt apologies to Ashley Cole, and it is with our deepest regret that you had to experience that last night. Those few individuals do not represent Swindon Town and will not be welcome at the County Ground."

Cole has appeared regularly as a pundit on various channels including ITV and Sky Sports.

The 41-year-old is also a coach at former club Chelsea, where he is involved with their under 15s academy team.