Supporter held over racist gesture towards Rio Ferdinand

LONDON: Wolves have apologised to Rio Ferdinand after a supporter was arrested having made a racist gesture towards the former Manchester United and England defender at Molineux.

Ferdinand was at the stadium working as a pundit as Wolves were beaten 2-1 by United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.The match saw the return of fans to the ground, with a crowd of 4,500 Wolves supporters in attendance.

During the game, Ferdinand posted a message on Twitter which said: “The last couple weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back. However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me. You need to be dismissed from football and educated. Come meet me and I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”

A subsequent tweet from Wolves said: “We are deeply sorry Rio. This person does not represent our club, our supporters or our values. We can confirm that this individual has been arrested by @WMPolice, who we will support to ensure that the strongest action is taken, including a lifetime ban from our club.”

West Midlands Police said in a tweet: “A 31-year-old man has been arrested at the @Wolves v @ManUtd match this afternoon after a racist gesture was directed at @rioferdy5. We will not tolerate football hate crime.” Elsewhere, audible boos were heard at Villa Park when Aston Villa and Chelsea players took the knee before kick-off.