Tottenham and England star Dele Alli has been handed a one-match ban and fine for his social media post mocking coronavirus.
Alli, 24, posted the video on Snapchat in February and has been charged by the English Football Association and his ban means he will now miss Tottenham’s home game against Man United next Friday (Watch live, 3:15 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).
As well as on the one-game ban, Alli was also fined $63,000 and ordered to attend an education course.
The Spurs playmaker posted the video from an airport departure lounge as he joked about the outbreak of coronavirus and appeared to mock an Asian man.
In a statement the FA said: “The Tottenham Hotspur FC player denied that a social media post breached FA Rule E3(1), as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, and constituted an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality. However, it was subsequently found proven by an independent Regulatory Commission.”
Dele Alli has issued an apology and admitted his mistake, with the attacking midfielder saying his video was ‘an extremely poor judged joke’ about the coronavirus pandemic.
“In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my behavior,” Alli said. “It was an extremely poorly judged joke about a virus that has now affected us more than we could ever have imagined. I’m grateful that The FA has confirmed that my actions were not racist because I despise racism of any kind. We all need to be mindful of the words and actions we use and how they can be perceived by others.”
During the Premier League suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dele Alli had his house broken into by burglars at knifepoint.
The mercurial midfielder has often had issues on the pitch with his decision-making and that has now spilled over to his life off the pitch.