Man City fan arrested over alleged Manchester derby racial abuse released on bail

The incident was widely condemned across football by both managers, Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But Burke, an army veteran, has taken to his Facebook profile to refute the allegation that he is a racist.

He wrote: "Listen, I'm only racist c*** because I had a screen shot that made me look it.

"However I ain't racist, watch the match half of it was me with me putting my hands in my pants.

"Bullsh** not ar*** I know the true and I've already made appointment to speak to the police which I did so think what you like."

Fred, who was the target of the taunts, insisted the incident was a reflection of a "backward society".

Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Fred said: “Unfortunately, we are still in a backward society. [It is a shame] we still have to live with that in 2019.

“On the field, I didn't see anything. I saw it only in the locker room afterwards. The guys showed me. He even threw a lighter and it hit me.

“I try not to care about that. I try to look ahead. Unfortunately, this is happening in some stadiums.

“It happened here, it happened in Ukraine with some friends. It's sad, but we have to keep our heads up and forget about that.”