Man admits sending racist tweet to Wigan Athletic player

A man has appeared in court after sending a racially aggravated social media post to a Wigan Athletic player.
Striker Ivan ToneyStriker Ivan Toney
Striker Ivan Toney

The message was sent to striker Ivan Toney on social networking website Twitter in December 2017, when he was on loan with the club.

Other news: Teenager seriously hurt in car crashLatics notified Twitter and Greater Manchester Police and worked with authorities to identify the person responsible.

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Calvin White, 25, of Hollycarrside Road, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment when he appeared in court.

He was sentenced to a community order of 12 months, 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £170 costs.

Latics thanked Northumbria Police for their support in identifying who was responsible for the post.

A statement from Kick It Out, which works to tackle discrimination in football, said: "We applaud Wigan Athletic for notifying both Twitter and the police. Discriminatory abuse is no less unacceptable when it is carried out on social media, and this shows that however and wherever this occurs there is no hiding place.

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“However, it also proves that there is still a lot of work to be done in and around the game to tackle discrimination and educate offenders.”

Football fans who witness any form of discriminatory behaviour are urged to send a message starting WIGAN to 80800 or to use the Kick It Out reporting app