Jermaine Jenas says police have "tracked down" two of the many social media users who targeted him with vile racist abuse during this summer's Euros.
Jenas, 38, served as a commentator for BBC Sport during Euro 2020 having established himself as a regular pundit and host of the broadcaster's football coverage.
The former England midfielder, like many current Three Lions stars, faced abhorrent messages online throughout the tournament.
The situation became so hostile Jenas deleted Twitter and he has subsequently been pushing for two perpetrators to face charges, while he also claims social media platforms have become "the black market of racism".
“Pretty much any game I did, I was trending on Twitter afterwards - a lot of it was racial abuse, some of it just abuse for no reason," the father-of-three told The Sun .
"It got to the point - after the third game, I think - where I had to delete Twitter. It wasn’t a healthy place for me to be."
Jenas opened up on the toll of the abuse, admitting he noticed himself "acting a bit differently" around friends and family.
The ex-Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur star confirmed he is working with the police so two of his abusers face suitable "punishment" for their crimes.
"After the tournament, there were a couple of tweets that the police highlighted - ones that were directly racist," added Jenas.
"So I’m currently going through the process of trying to get some form of punishment for those two people. The police have tracked them down, and I’ve given my statement."
What can be done to convince social media companies to take a tougher stance against racism on their platforms? Have your say in the comments.
However, Jenas doubts whether the two perpetrators will face adequate punishment for their foul behaviour and he insists there must be stronger a "deterrent" to prevent racism on social media.
The co-host of The One Show would like to see abuse met with a fine or a custodial sentence, while he also stressed the need for education so potential abusers "can learn and change for good".
He also laid bare the failings of social media websites by recalling a recent exchange with Instagram after he was called a "half-caste c***" by one user.
Jenas said he was "rocked" by the abuse and lodged a formal complaint with Instagram only to be told the horrendous language did not break their rules.
"Instagram came back to me and said it wasn’t against the community guidelines," he said. "This is why so many players are so disillusioned."
Jenas has spent the last year researching racism in football for a new Channel 4 documentary with the Football Policing Unit, which works with the Home Office "to reduce violence, antisocial behaviour and disorder at football events".
