Carlisle United suspend three U18 players for social media comments

Carlisle United are 18th in League Two, the fourth tier of English professional football

Carlisle United have suspended three of their Under-18s players for comments made on social media.

The suspensions follow comments made on Snapchat before a Cumberland Cup semi-final against non-league opponents Carlisle City on Tuesday.

It emerged the players sent a message saying, "Game day vs 50 year olds. Lets av it", with one appearing to mimic smoking a cigar.

Screenshots of the comments were posted on Twitter later by opposition players.

Most of United's team were fully professional players but after taking a first-half lead, they lost 2-1 to their semi-professional opponents City.

A Carlisle United statement said the club was investigating the matter and would not comment further at this stage.