DELE ALLI was football’s first Covidiot but his error was different to the others.
The least surprising news during the coronavirus crisis was that some footballers in this country, many of them Englishmen, are still unable to engage their brains.
Dele Alli will miss Tottenham’s return after his video nastyCredit: PA:Press Association
From a sex party to 4am car crash, a public kickabout or a different type of general lockdown rule break.
Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and Callum Hudson-Odoi are among players who have really struggled with this whole social distancing thing.
Tottenham midfielder Alli, though, just thought he was being funny although this poor attempt at humour back in February backfired.
Alli played the fool before the disease had become a global pandemic, before the virus had torn through Europe and before thousands of families had been ripped apart.
As Alli prepared for a February break in Dubai with three friends and a security guard, he posted a video of himself wearing a mask in an airport lounge.
He focused on an Asian man and added the caption: “Corona whattttt, please listen with volume” before panning to a bottle of antiseptic hand-wash captioned: “This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me.”
The FA have argued the video “depicted an unacceptable racist stereotype” in a rubbish attempt at humour but did not try to claim Alli is a racist.
The player insisted at Monday’s hearing he focused on the man because he was coughing, although the video did not pick that up.
ONE MATCH BAN
Alli will now miss his team’s crunch Project Restart opener against Manchester United a week today and he has been fined £50,000.
He will also be required to undertake an FA educational course which will hopefully push the message that he has no chance of becoming a comedian after football.
Is Alli racist? Of course he is not. Is he a bit stupid? It certainly seems that way.
Aged 24, in football terms, Alli is not a youngster. Even though men double his age have probably done far more ridiculous stuff over these last few weeks during lockdown.
And while he may trust those closest, Dele needs to review the larger groups of friends listed on his phone.
Due to both form and injury, Alli has fallen away from the England reckoning having been previously one of the first names on boss Gareth Southgate’s teamsheet.
His last international game was in the Uefa Nations League 12 months ago.
And although his Spurs form would have seen him back in the squad ahead of Euro 2020 you have to doubt whether he would have been in the starting XI had England’s opening game against Croatia at Wembley taken place this Sunday.
Alli has always insisted he will be a leader but has yet to be invited on Southgate’s leadership group with other Three Lions players. There is probably a reason for that.
England footballer Dele Alli apologises after appearing to mock deadly coronavirus in airport Snapchat video
Club-mate Eric Dier, two years older, has been on that England panel although he is still prone to a rush of blood.
Tottenham are still waiting on the outcome of Dier’s misconduct charge after he climbed into the stands to confront a Spurs supporter following his side’s FA Cup exit to Norwich in March.
But Alli, who claims he was “betrayed” by a friend who saved his post, must look at himself rather than point the finger at other people.
Most importantly of all, he needs to become more consistent, even though some Tottenham fans are a bit quick to jump on his back.
No-one could blame Alli — and you had to understand his frustration — when he struggled playing in a false nine due to the absence of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
And his stats are still exceptionally good.
Kane loves playing alongside him for both club and country and the pair have a natural and special understanding which you cannot coach out on a training ground.
Alli, though, has now been overtaken in the England reckoning by players such as James Maddison, Mount and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has returned from his latest injury looking like the player we always hoped he would become.
Equally, it has been a particularly tough spell for Alli when you consider the shocking attack and robbery he suffered at home last month.
In terms of his football career, Alli needs to prove to Southgate, club manager Jose Mourinho and also himself that he is maturing on and off the pitch.
He must also avoid any more social media gaffs because Southgate has already proved he is the type of boss who can leave a player out in the cold — sometimes permanently.
And then, the joke really would be on Alli.
Dele Alli spends just 10 minutes at Tottenham training ground after club learn of his partying despite coronavirus fears
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
