Dele Alli will miss the restart of the Premier League after being hit with a one-game ban by the Football Association for his controversial social media post earlier this year in which he appeared to mock an Asian man over the coronavirus.
Alli, 24, was charged with breaching FA Rule E3 (1) after posting a video on social media of himself at an airport wearing a mask and apparently mocking a man of Asian appearance. He later apologised for the prank.
The FA said Alli was also fined 50,000 pounds ($63,280.00)and must undertake an education course after he was found guilty by a independent regulatory commission.
Alli posted a video showing a man of Asian descent with the caption: 'Corona whatttttt, please listen with volume.'
In the next part of the Snapchat story, the midfielder wears a mask while appearing to feign concern. He then shows a bottle of handwash, accompanied by the caption: 'This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me.'
Alli deleted the video within minutes of posting it and apologised twice, nevertheless the FA have deemed the footage to have racial connotations.
Alli said: 'In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my actions on 6th February.
'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.'
The FA commission wrote: 'The creation and distribution of the offending material was more the product of spontaneous ill-judged stupidity rather than any sense of malicious intent.'
