England and Tottenham midfielder, Dele Alli has received a one-match ban for an offensive gesture during England’s world cup qualifying match against Slovakia last month.
Despite FIFA’s disciplinary committee accepting that Alli’s gesture wasn’t aimed at the referee, he was however fined 5000 Swiss Francs.
“Although the disciplinary committee was not convinced that the player directed the gesture at the referee, and regardless of whether it was allegedly directed at a team-mate, it did consider such gesture to be offensive and unsporting. Therefore it amounted to a violation of article 57 of the Fifa disciplinary code,” FIFA said in a statement.
Alli, who will now miss the world cup qualifier against Slovenia, had said that the gesture was aimed at team mate, Kyle Walker.
Replayed showed Alli swearing after he was shoved by Martin Skrtel in the game against Slovakia, but he later said the gesture was a friendly joke with Walker.
