A man has been handed a six-month jail sentence for making racist gestures at Rio Ferdinand in May 2021.
Jamie Arnold was jailed today after being convicted of racially aggravated public order at the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United match, where Ferdinand was working as a TV pundit.
Arnold will also serve a seven-year ban from attending any football matches.
“His abuse was unprovoked and completely unacceptable,” Ferdinand said in a victim statement read out at Wolverhampton Crown Court on his behalf. “Behavior like this is completely unacceptable.”
Arnold, according to Judge Rhona Campbell, had embarrassed his team and his city.
“Wolverhampton Wanderers do not want a racist on their terraces,” she stated. “They do not want you as a fan and this city does not tolerate racist behavior in its midst.”