- Police hope social media companies will help them track down those responsible.
- Oliver and his young family were threatened after he expelled Myles Lewis-Skelly.
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The UK Football Policing Unit is leading the investigation into abusive messages directed at Michael Oliver and has already spoken to social media companies as it seeks to quickly locate those responsible.
Oliver became the target of online trolls after his controversial decision to sack Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal on Saturday.
Refereeing body PGMOL said it was “appalled” by the “abhorrent attacks”, which are believed to have included threats against Oliver's young family and claims his address was known. They contacted the UKFPU who launched their own investigation and wasted no time in trying to hunt down the culprits.
Thanks to improved relationships with companies like X and Facebook, officials will be able to receive information within a couple of days. Police had previously faced long delays in obtaining details that ruined any hope of a prosecution given the six-month limit allowed by the Malicious Communications Act.
However, as reported by Mail Sport, officials visited the England camp before last summer's Euros to brief players on the development and make them aware of the development and the increased likelihood of offenders being detained.
A UKFPU spokesperson said: “UKFPU officials have launched an investigation after a number of abusive messages were directed at a referee following a Premier League match.”
Police have contacted social media companies to try to track down those responsible for abusing Michael Oliver.
He and his young family are believed to have received death threats after he sacked Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal on Saturday.
The PGMOL issued this statement condemning the threats that have been sent to Oliver
On Sunday 26 January, UK Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) contacted police in relation to social media messages directed at referee Michael Oliver.
“Investigations are in the early stages and officials are working closely with social media providers, including Facebook and X, to identify those responsible for the messages.”
On Sunday, PGMOL issued a statement. It said: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers-Arsenal match,” the PGMOL said in a statement.
“No official should be subjected to any type of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks directed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.”
Arsenal won the match 1-0.
