A man has been charged over an abusive Twitter message sent to former Portsmouth defender Tal Ben Haim.

The tweet was sent to the Israeli footballer earlier this month. Its exact contents are not available, but it reportedly has racist content.

Matthew Smith, 33, of Andover has been charged with improper use of a public electronic communications network. If convicted, he could face up to six months in prison.

Stacey Turner, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Wessex daytime charging unit, told the Guardian: "We have carefully considered the evidence provided to us by the police and are satisfied that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to prosecute Matthew Smith with this offence."

Mr Ben Haim has reportedly been searching for a new club since leaving Portsmouth.