London: Chelsea have confirmed that John Obi Mikel has closed his account on social networking website Twitter after receiving racial abuse following the 2-2 draw with Juventus on Wednesday evening.
The midfielder was at fault for the Italians` equaliser, as his misplaced pass allowed Fabio Quagliarella in to deny the Blues all three points in their opening Champions League Group E game.
That error led to several racist tweets being directed at the Nigeria international, something which the west London club have now condemned.
Chelsea wrote on Twitter: "Abuse on social networks is abhorrent. Racist tweets towards Mikel are totally unacceptable. Police informed. #CFC supports strongest action."
Two hours earlier, the Stamford Bridge side had tweeted to deny reports that the 25-year-old had been targeted through the site but have now been forced to backtrack.
The original tweet read: "Not true Mikel quit Twitter due to messages received. He`d wanted to leave for a while & deleted his acct today without looking at it. #CFC"
Mikel accepted full responsibility for his mistake after Wednesday`s game, telling Sky Sports: "I`m disappointed, it was my pass and I over-hit it."
Goal.com
First Published: Friday, September 21, 2012, 09:50