Dellle Allie

Dele Alli banned for one match over coronavirus post

Story By: BBC Sports

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been suspended for one match by the Football Association over a post on social media about coronavirus.

Alli, 24, put a video on Snapchat in February in which he joked about the outbreak and appeared to mock an Asian man.

The England international has also been fined £50,000 and ordered to undertake an education course.

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He will miss Spurs’ home match against Manchester United on 19 June.

The video posted by Alli showed him wearing a face mask in an airport lounge, before the camera moved to show a man of Asian appearance, and then zoomed in on a bottle of antiseptic handwash.

In his hearing, Alli said he had “very quickly” realised the video may have the “potential to cause upset” and deleted it before catching his flight.

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He said he had been “betrayed” by a friend who sold the video on his private account to the media.

In a statement, Alli said: “In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my behaviour.

“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.”

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More than 41,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, and more than 416,000 worldwide.

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