Teen Charged With Racially Abusing Cork Soccer Player

Police in England have charged a teenage boy from the North East of England with racially abusing Irish U21 footballer Tyreik Wright.

The teen will appear in court next week to face the charge.

20-year-old Cork City native Wright is currently signed by Premier League side Aston Villa but is on loan at Salford City. Last season he was on loan at League Two club Walsall.

It was while playing for Walsall that Wright received the racially motivated abuse on social media. Last February he shared Inastagram screenshots of the abuse he had been subjected to.

The investigation was conducted by the UK’s first dedicated hate crime officer within a football unit, PC Stuart Ward.

This morning West Midlands Police announced that a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has been accused of sending abusive messages to Wright.

"He has been charged under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday 7 October," a statement from West Midlands Police read.

Wright is a member of Ireland's U21 squad and recently scored in a 2-0 win against Bosnia & Herzegovina in a European Championship qualifying match.