Dele Alli banned for one match and fined £50,000 by FA over offensive coronavirus video

Midfielder will now miss Spurs’ fixture against Manchester United on 19 June

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has been suspended for one match and fined £50,000 by the Football Association after posting an offensive video on social media relating the coronavirus outbreak in February.

During the video, posted on the 24-year-old's Snapchat account, Alli can be seen joking about coronavirus while wearing a mask and appears to mock an Asian man.

Alli will now miss Tottenham's fixture against Manchester United on Friday 19 June.

An FA statement read: “Dele Alli has been suspended for one match with immediate effect, fined £50,000 and must undertake an education course following a breach of FA Rule E3.

“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.”

Responding to the charge, Alli, who will also have to undertake an education course, issued an apology for any offence caused.

“In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my behaviour,” he wrote. “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.”