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A so-called Newcastle United supporter has been arrested in the aftermath of a footage of a man urinating on a statue of Sunderland legend Bob Stokoe.
Supporters of both North East rivals were appalled after footage emerged on Monday of the unsavoury incident outside the Stadium of Light.
The 25-second clip appeared to show a man wearing a Newcastle shirt urinating on the statue dedicated to Stokoe, whilst singing "We hate Sunderland, we hate Sunderland."
Filthy little rat. pic.twitter.com/icY08JfauE
— Laura (@LauraJ8338) May 2, 2022
We are aware of a video circulating on social media which appears to show a man urinating on a memorial outside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and a full investigation has been launched into the incident.
A 21-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and remains in police custody at this time.
We recognise that incidents of this nature can cause anger and frustration within our communities.
We would ask everyone to please respect the ongoing investigation and refrain from anything that could jeopardise these live enquiries.
Stokoe is one of the few footballing icons celebrated on both Tyneside and Wearside, having lifted the FA Cup as a player with the Magpies before leading Sunderland to the same trophy as a manager.
He died at the age of 73 in 2004 after suffering from pneumonia, with Sunderland later unveiling the statue of him outside the Stadium of Light in 2006.
The memorial recreates Stokoe's famous dance across Wembley's turf after the Black Cats' 1-0 FA Cup final victory over Leeds United in 1973.
For any enquiries, please contact us here.
