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Rio Ferdinand: Man charged with racially abusing football pundit during Wolves vs Man Utd

Jamie Arnold, 31, accused of using racist words and gestures and charged with making homophobic comments towards Rio Ferdinand; former England international was at Molineux while working as part of the BT Sport broadcast team

PA: Rio Ferdinand
Image: Rio Ferdinand was racially abused while covering Wolves vs Man Utd in May

West Midlands Police have charged a man with racially abusing football pundit Rio Ferdinand while he was covering a match at Molineux in May.

The former Manchester United and England defender had alleged in a tweet he was racially abused while working as part of the BT Sport broadcast team for the match on the final day of the Premier League season between Wolves and Manchester United.

Jamie Arnold has been charged with using racist words and gestures towards the former England international.

The 31-year-old from Stone, Staffordshire, has also been charged with making homophobic comments and will appear before Dudley Magistrates Court on July 29.

The fixture at Molineux on May 23 was the first game where a reduced number of supporters were allowed into the ground following the easing of Covid lockdown restrictions.

The investigation has been led by PC Stuart Ward, who was appointed the UK's first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit.

Ward is at the forefront of our unit's ongoing work to stamp out any abuse against footballers and fans.

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