British Police
Arrest Homophobic Soccer Taunter

British police on Wednesday arrested a soccer fan suspected of shouting racist and homophobic remarks at star player Sol Campbell. The arrest of the 28-year-old man came after police released photos of 16 fans who allegedly directed the invective at the defender for England's Portsmouth team on September 28, Agence France-Presse reports.

According to the 1991 Football Offences Act, soccer fans can be fined and barred from stadiums for chanting "indecent or racist" songs, though until now perpetrators have rarely been prosecuted. A police officer on the day of the match in question managed to capture the suspects on camera.

"Our inquiry is aimed at identifying and putting before the court those individuals who engaged in unacceptable behavior at this public event," Hampshire police superintendent Neil Sherrington told AFP. "We want to send a clear message that abuse of this kind will not be tolerated and that we are taking robust action."

"There is no place for [abuse] in football," a spokesman for the Portsmouth team, Gary Double, told AFP. "That is the view of most people in the game and most fans."

Campbell previously played for London's Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs teams. (Thibault Chareton, Advocate.com)