The football fan who sent an abusive Twitter message to Premier League

The football fan who sent an abusive Twitter message to Premier League referee and cancer survivor Mark Halsey following last weekend's Liverpool v Manchester United game has been cautioned by police.

Mark Halsey sent off Jonjo Shelvey last Sunday

Liverpool supporter John Wareing, a 27-year-old man from the north-east, tweeted: "I hope Mark Halsey gets cancer again and dies", after the official sent off Reds midfielder Jonjo Shevley and handed United a late penalty that gave Sir Alex Ferguson's side a 2-1 win at Anfield.

Commenting on the incident, DS Tony Lunt of Greater Manchester police said: "Clearly the victim and his family were very distressed by the extremely offensive comments posted on Twitter. We take all reports of abuse on social networking sites very seriously as these remarks can and do have a devastating impact on people's lives.

Liverpool and Manchester United are to release 96 red balloons at Anfield

Liverpool and Manchester United are to release 96 red balloons at Anfield on Sunday as part of a pre-match tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

Manchester United and Liverpool will put their bitter rivalry to one side to pay tribute to the Hillsborough victims

The opposing captains, expected to be Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic, will make the gesture to honour the memory of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the 1989 tragedy.

Fans on three sides of Anfield will also help to display a giant mosaic before the start of the Premier League match between the two teams.

And the match will be attended by representatives of three support groups - The Hillsborough Family Support Group, Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Hope for Hillsborough.