Many Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been reacting to the news that Dele Alli has been suspended for one first-team competitive fixture with immediate effect, fined £50k and must complete a face-to-face education course following a breach of FA Rule E3 (as per the club’s official website).
The punishment comes following a social media post the player made back in February, in which he made a joke about the virus that ended up bringing football to a halt, as well as causing tens of thousands in the UK to lose their lives.
Here is how a sample of the club’s supporters responded to the news when it was shared via Twitter.
Hold your head up son. Our Prime Minister says a lot worse and doesn’t get reprimanded.
— Special K (@Spurs_SpecialK) June 11, 2020
Likely no suspension if Dele played for Liverpool
— RMacs (@PhillyHotspur) June 11, 2020
??You’ll be back Alli, mistakes happen
— Rg_nald_SA (@Rg_nald_SA) June 11, 2020
Do you think banning Dele Alli for the Manchester United game is harsh?
Yes
No
It’s clear from the above responses that some of these Spurs fans feel as though Alli is being picked on by the authorities, with one suggesting that had he been a Liverpool player, he would not have received any form of suspension. As a result of the ban, Alli will miss Tottenham’s fixture versus Manchester United, which is scheduled to take place on 19 June.
Fans continued to have their say on the matter; here are a few more of the replies to the club’s post.
Joke
— Lisa W (@LisaWil40624103) June 11, 2020
Should be sold
— Michael (@THFCMichaeI) June 11, 2020
— David Paniagua (@Paniagua64) June 11, 2020
This fan believes the ban was deserved and wasn’t afraid to express their thoughts, despite being in a minority.
Deserved…
— David D Dandemi (@iamDandemi) June 11, 2020
The 24-year-old apologised via the club’s official website for any offence caused and went on to say: “I’m grateful that the FA has confirmed that my actions were not racist because I despise racism of any kind.”