Referee Bobby Madley was forced to quit the Premier League over offensive social media messages which reportedly mocked a disabled man.

Madley, 32, is understood to be starting a new life in Norway after a screen grab of a Snapchat message was sent by one of his followers to senior refereeing officials.

Madley is reported by The Sun to have shared a picture of a disabled man with an insensitive remark about the probability of being able to beat him in a school sports day race.

The 32-year-old, once touted as one of Britain's best young referees, is now in the process of registering for a the professional league in Norway, where his girlfriend lives.

He and his family, from West Yorkshire, have refused to comment since the Daily Telegraph broke news of his departure two weeks ago.