Deli Alli has found himself in hot water after being seen giving the middle finger to the referee during England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia.
The Tottenham player is likely to be punished for the incident which occurred when Clement Turpin refused to award him a free-kick.
Full time report from Wembley: pic.twitter.com/sEwtP9uJM3
— Andy Ha (@_AndyHa) September 4, 2017
Alli later tweeted to explain…
Just to clarify, the gesture tonight was a joke between me and my good friend Kyle Walker! Apologies for any offence caused! Great win 2nite
— Dele (@dele_official) September 4, 2017
“I’ve not seen it, but I’ve been made aware of it,” England coach Gareth Southgate said after the game. “Kyle and Dele were mucking about, and Dele’s made a gesture towards Kyle. I don’t know what the angle of the pitch is. The pair of them have a strange way of communicating, but that’s what they’ve said when it’s been raised.”
The national team may have got their story worked out, but FIFA may well see things differently. Lionel Messi was banned for four games for swearing at a referee. Alli may well face something similar.