Police are investigating after an image appearing to mock the death of striker Emiliano Sala was shared online.

Sala, 28, had just signed for Cardiff from Nantes when the plane he was travelling in crashed into the English Channel, north of Guernsey, on January 21.

A mocked-up boarding pass for Sala appeared online on Friday ahead of Sunday’s derby clash between the Bluebirds and south Wales rivals Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

In the image, described as “disgraceful” by Swansea, the boarding pass has the flight number “D3AD”.

The flight captain is named as Mikey Dye, a Cardiff fan who died after an attack outside Wembley in 2011.

In a statement shared on Twitter, South Wales Police said they were “aware” of an image, and warned social media users not to share the image as it could be considered an offence to do do. 

A spokesperson also said they were investigating the image alongside both football clubs. 

Swansea City released a statement late on Friday evening after the image began circulating amongst fans, with a spokesperson writing that the club was “aware of the disgraceful image currently circulating social media.” 

They added: “The image is shameful and does not represent this football club or our supporters in any way.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any discriminatory, unacceptable or anti-social behaviour, and this will be enforced rigorously before, during and after Sunday’s South Wales derby.

“Any supporters displaying this type of material or behaving in an unacceptable manner will face criminal proceedings.”

The spokesperson also confirmed the club was working closely with South Wales Police ahead of Sunday’s game, and would be supporting officers “in any public order or hate crime prosecutions surrounding these images”. 

Despite anonymous accounts continuing to share the picture, both Swansea and Cardiff supporters have widely condemned the image. 

Those with information about the image have been asked to call police on 101, quoting reference number 1900395865.

A CCTV company director and her employee were in September jailed for 14 months and five months respectively for illegally accessing footage of footballer Emiliano Sala’s body in the mortuary.

Sherry Bray, 49, the director of Camera Security Services Limited in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and her employee Christopher Ashford, 62, accessed footage of the procedure being conducted on Sala.

The images were then shared online, and seen by members of Sala’s distraught family.