Everton and Liverpool have condemned the racist abuse of Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Doucoure stood at the heart of Wednesday’s dramatic final-ever Goodison Park derby after both sets of players were involved in a post-match melee.
The midfielder and opposite number Curtis Jones were retrospectively sent off by referee Michael Oliver alongside coaches Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff.
But Doucoure was subjected to racist comments on Instagram in the aftermath of the game after sharing a post reflecting on the 2-2 draw.
The social media platform’s owner Meta are investigating the offensive remarks while both clubs have slammed the abuse as ‘reprehensible’.
“Everton and Liverpool Football Clubs are aware of – and condemn in the strongest possible terms – racist abuse received by Abdoulaye Doucoure following Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby,” read a joint statement.
“Such abuse is reprehensible and will not, and should not, be tolerated.
“Together, the two clubs will work with Merseyside Police who are conducting an investigation with the aim of identifying the individuals responsible.
“We also encourage people who witness or experience online abuse to report and highlight it to the social media platforms on which it appears.
“We must all, including the social media companies, take a zero-tolerance stance. Platforms need to take accountability and action to ban such abusers.
“Racism and hate has no place online, in our stadia or in our communities.”
Merseyside Police confirmed on Thursday that it is currently investigating the abuse suffered by the Mali international within hours of the Goodison clash.
Chief Superintendent Claire Doyle said: “We are investigating this and take these reports of hate crime extremely seriously. If you have any information in relation please let us know because it could help our ongoing enquiries.
“We have successfully prosecuted so-called fans for racist abuse and they have been handed football banning orders along with a criminal record for their behaviour.
“Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime in any form and is working to identify and bring to justice anyone found responsible for committing it.”