Eight men have been arrested following an investigation into a torrent of online racist abuse against an unnamed Tottenham Hotspur player, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed.
Four other men were interviewed under caution as part of the Met Police's nationwide action on suspicion of using words or behaviour, or displaying written material with intent to cause racial hatred.
The investigation was started after Son Heung-min was abused online following Spurs' 3-1 home defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League last month.
United, who banned supporters as a result of what happened, detected the abuse via their online reporting tool, before altering Greater Manchester Police.
On the arrests that have been made, Detective Sergeant Matt Simpson, who is from the Met's public order crime team, said in a statement: "This action makes it abundantly clear that police will not stand for racist thuggery, even if it is committed online.
"The posts, all of which were on Twitter, were vulgar and were utterly unacceptable. There is no safe haven for this type of abusive behaviour, and we are committed to taking decisive action to root it out.
"With a busy summer of football approaching we are committed to driving out this type of racist behaviour - it has no place in football.
"I am delighted with the support we have received from our policing colleagues nationally and from Manchester United and Tottenham. Without them, it would be difficult to identify these users and take action."
The Chief Executive of Kick It Out, Tony Burnett, has said that the arrests that have been made send out "a powerful message that online abuse is unacceptable and those found guilty will face real-life consequences."
In a statement, Burnett said: "Social media has become a vehicle for inappropriate behaviour on a societal level and certain people think it's okay to send abusive messages.
"We have to make sure we create an environment where online abuse is punished and that the perpetrators are identified as much as possible. These arrests demonstrate the police's commitment to tackling online abuse and we hope this sends a message to others so they think twice before posting discriminatory abuse.
"It's also important that we remain focused on the welfare of those who play, watch and work in football, and receive abuse, and we will continue to offer our support to those who need it."
Spurs are yet to provide a comment or statement on the arrests that have been made.
