The Met Police has launched an investigation after Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was subjected to vile racist abuse on social media.
The Gunners reported the racist troll to X bosses on the weekend and demanded the post was taken down.
The Premier League giants have stepped up their own hunt for the abuser by working alongside data science company Signify.
The tech firm, which uses AI to help unmask abusive social media users, started working with Arsenal after Saka and his England team-mates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were all racially abused when they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
Some 18 Arsenal members were banned last year as a result of its probes.
Scotland Yard has confirmed to The Sun that its officers are investigating the latest offensive post, but no arrests have been made at this stage.
The Met Police has launched an investigation after Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka was subjected to vile racist abuse on X/Twitter
The 22-year-old forward – who played in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa yesterday – was subjected to a shocking slur by the social media user who said he ‘needs to be humbled before he ruins this sport any further’.
The tweet came after Saka was accused of diving for a penalty in the closing stages of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.
It’s understood the troll’s account has turned private, meaning it is unknown if the post has been removed or not.
But The Sun on Sunday revealed that X had refused to remove the tweet after it was reported because it ‘did not violate safety policies’.
A source at Arsenal told the publication: ‘Player welfare is our first priority and our full focus is on supporting Bukayo. We have began our own investigation to attempt to identify the abuser and have contacted X.
‘We’ll always take strong action to stamp out this abhorrent behaviour.’
Saka was subjected to shocking racist tweets after England’s Euros 2020 defeat, while the Met Police also investigated another vile post about him in April 2023 when he missed a penalty against West Ham.
A report commissioned by FIFA into social media abuse directed at players found that Saka, alongside Rashford, were the two most abused players following the Euro 2020 final.
Saka has previously been abused after missing a penalty for England in the final of Euro 2020
The Met Police also investigated another vile post about him in April 2023 when he missed a penalty against West Ham (pictured)
Alongside Sancho, who also received streams of rabid abuse, the two missed decisive penalties as England were defeated by Italy in the final at Wembley.
Both Rashford and Saka received over 80 posts of abuse, with most of that being racially aggravated. Saka received around 120 abusive posts, with over 60 of those being racially driven.
FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino said at the time: ‘Our duty is to protect football, and that starts with the players who bring so much joy and happiness to all of us by their exploits on the field of play.
‘Unfortunately, there is a trend developing where a percentage of posts on social media channels directed towards players, coaches, match officials and the teams themselves is not acceptable, and this form of discrimination – like any form of discrimination – has no place in football.’
MailOnline has contacted the Met Police and X for comment.
