[Source: The Royal Family]

The Duke of Cambridge Prince William has called for racist abuse aimed at footballers to stop, calling it “despicable”.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was the latest player subjected to racist abuse this weekend after a series of incidents.

On Sunday, Greater Manchester Police began an investigation into the abuse.

And writing on Twitter, Prince William, who is also the president of the Football Association, praised those who had spoken out.

He said: “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now.

The abuse aimed at Rashford on Saturday followed similar treatment of team-mates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial.