Dele Alli has been given a one match suspension and been given a hefty fine for his coronavirus related snapchat video posted in Febraury.
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli caused controversy earlier this year after uploading a video on Snapchat in which he appeared to make fun of a man of Asian descent while waiting for his flight at Heathrow Airport in February.
The video initially focuses on the man with the caption: ‘Corona whatttttt, please listen with volume.’ In the next part of the story, he wears a mask, seemingly suggesting the man could’ve been infected by COVID-19, before turning the camera to a bottle of hand sanitizer accompanied by another caption: ‘This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me.’
Alli removed the video quickly after posting it. However, it had already caught the attention of authorities by then.
The Football Association (FA) on Thursday confirmed that the England international has been given a one-match suspension on top of a £50,000 fine and must also attend a face-to-face education course.
The 24 -year old made an apology on the official club website, saying: “In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologize again for any offense caused by my behavior. 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 intentionally 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.”
Alli will miss his side’s Premier League clash against Manchester United on June 19 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
