Dele Alli will not play for Tottenham again this season after the Football Association handed him a three-match ban for violent conduct.
The 20-year-old midfielder was hit with the suspension after appearing to punch West Brom’s Claudio Yacob in Monday night’s 1-1 draw between the two sides at White Hart Lane.
Alli accepted the FA charge – but saw his claims that the accompanying three-match ban would be an excessive punishment thrown out.
Named PFA Young Player of the Year last week, Alli had been fouled twice in the early stages by the Argentinian and looked to react when the two came together in the penalty area.
The incident was missed by referee Mike Jones but the FA acted quickly in charging Alli and announced on Thursday evening that a three-match ban was his punishment.
The FA statement read:
“Dele Alli will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after he committed an act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video
“The player accepted The FA’s charge but contested that the automatic penalty of a three-match suspension would be ‘clearly excessive’. This claim, however, was rejected following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today [Thursday 28 April 2016].
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was involved in a 26th minute incident with West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob during their game on Monday [25 April 2016].”
PA Sport
Whilst unfortunate, I’d be liar if I said I was either shocked or disappointed.
There’s a difference between a player being tough, a player fighting for the cause, and one that lashes out like hooker who finds some other tart underneath her favourite lamppost.
Alli is tipped for one hell of career.
Should he opt not to pause for thought over this ban, then he will find that every Spurs shirt he pulls on next season has an invisible ‘KICK ME’ sign pinned to the back of it.
It will be a stock ploy of just about every team in the league to see who can get him to flare up.
Dele, you must come through this mentally stronger and let your feet do the talking in future, son.
Most games these days have roughly 20 (yes twenty) HD cameras pointing onto the green stuff while you’re prancing about on it.
We love you lots, so don’t act the tart.
