FA charges Dele Alli over social media post mocking coronavirus

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been charged by the Football Association over his social media post mocking the coronavirus.

Alli posted a video on Snapchat poking fun at the deadly virus while also singling out an Asian man in an airport earlier this month.

He hastily deleted the video and then posted a separate apology on Chinese platform Weibo.

The FA wrote to him seeking his observations and has now decided to charge him with misconduct.

A statement from the governing body read: “Dele Alli has been charged with misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a social media post.

“It is alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s post breaches FA Rule E3(1) as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

“It is further alleged that the post constitutes 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.

“He has until Thursday 5 March 2020 to provide a response.”

Any ruling would be subject to an appeal which means the situation could still drag on into the middle of March.

read also: Dele Alli apologises for immature coronavirus joke

Alli would have been hoping a swift apology might have been enough to avoid a charge, but he is now facing sanction, with the FA setting precedent earlier this season when banning Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva for a similar offence.