British police announced on Monday that they are investigating racist messages received via social media this weekend by four Premier League players, including Chelsea's French defender Wesley Fofana.

The French international shared some of the messages he received on Instagram after the match against Burnley (1-1), from which he was sent off. From anonymous accounts, Fofana is insulted and compared to "a monkey" who should be "put in a zoo."

His opponent Hannibal Mejbri, a Tunisian international born in France, also suffered attacks, as did winger Romaine Mundle (Sunderland) and Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton) on Sunday.

"There is absolutely no place for racist insults, whether online or in person, and those who think they can hide behind their keyboards should think twice," commented Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), the unit responsible for maintaining order in English football.

"UKFPU condemns this despicable behavior and we will ensure, through our dedicated team of officers, that we do everything possible to identify those responsible and bring them to justice," added Mr. Roberts.

The police say that convictions have been handed down "in recent months" against individuals found guilty of online racism, with "significant stadium bans" as a result, but acknowledge that "there is still much to be done" in this area.

"The racism suffered by these footballers is abhorrent," a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also reacted on Monday.

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, "has indicated that it will continue to work to protect people from abuse. Ministers will hold them accountable to ensure that this is achieved," the spokesperson added.

Racist insults have become a scourge for European football, and many voices in England have called on platforms to further regulate these attacks.

"No one should be subjected to racist abuse, and we remove this content when we find it," a Meta spokesperson told the BBC. "Nothing will stop racist behavior overnight, but we will continue to work to protect our community from abuse and cooperate with police investigations."