An Arsenal fan who posted racist abuse of Thomas Partey on social media has been banned from football matches for the next three years, despite telling a court it was a “sarcastic joke”.

Charles Ogunmilade, 28, took to X, formerly Twitter, on April 21, 2023 after Arsenal’s 3-3 Premier League draw with Southampton.

Using an account under his own name, he referred a 30-yard strike from the midfielder which sailed over the bar, writing: “Nah, when Partey skied that shot I actually screamed ‘you dirty black c**t’.”

Ogunmilade, who is black and of Nigerian descent, insisted the message was not intended as racist or a targeted attack on Partey, but was instead a joke for friends as part of a “coping mechanism” for genuine football racism.

He told City of London magistrates court he had believed racism in football was a “thing of the past”, but changed his mind after a torrent of abuse was aimed at Bukayo Saka after his Euro 2020 final penalty miss.

“That was very upsetting time, for me and for my friends”, he said. “Growing up in east London, I have seen racist football fans.”

Recruitment consultant Ogunmilade described his Twitter message as a “thoughtless joke” following a private exchange with friends on WhatsApp, and told the court: “I wasn’t trying to attack Thomas Partey.