Dele Alli joked about the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. Photo / Snapchat/Photosport
Dele Alli joked about the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. Photo / Snapchat/Photosport
Dele Alli has been accused of "harmful and dangerous racism" by a leading anti-discrimination campaigner as the Football Association began disciplinary action against him for a controversial Snapchat video.
The governing body has written to Alli to ask for his observations after the Tottenham and England forward posted a video in which he appeared to joke about the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus and mock an Asian man.
He later deleted the post and issued a public apology but the FA has been urged to take action by Piara Powar, executive director of the Football Against Racism in Europe network.
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was banned for one match and fined £50,000 this season, even though an FA commission accepted he "did not intend" a tweet about team-mate Benjamin Mendy to be "racist".
And Powar said: "It's a very similar situation. I imagine the FA will be bringing a charge, I can't see how they couldn't. This type of racism may be directed at a different community and from someone who should know better, but it is clear what Dele has broadcast is very harmful. He has mocked a people because they are subject to a virulent virus and has included in his mockery an unknown and random individual of East Asian appearance.
"Racism directed at people of an East Asian background goes uncommented on too frequently, it makes it even more dangerous." Alli shot a video of himself wearing a face mask in an airport departure lounge on Saturday, accompanied by the message: "Corona whattt, please listen with volume." He then pointed the camera towards an unsuspecting man of Asian appearance before panning to a bottle of antiseptic handwash captioned: "This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me."
Dele Alli pointed the camera towards an unsuspecting man of Asian appearance. Photo / Snapchat
The video, which was shared within a private Snapchat group, was quickly deleted and Alli posted an apology on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, saying: "I'd like to apologise for the video I posted on Snapchat yesterday.
"It wasn't funny. I realised that immediately and took it down. I let myself down and the club. I don't want you guys to have that impression of me. It isn't something that should be joked about. S ending all my love and thoughts and prayers for everyone in China."
The fact Alli's post was meant to be within a private group, rather than shared publicly as Bernardo's was, is likely to be taken into consideration by the FA once it has received his observations.
Port Vale's Tom Pope was last week charged by the FA after posting a tweet last month linking the Rothschilds to "every bank on the planet", which other users remarked could be viewed as being antisemitic.
Tottenham have spoken to Alli and he is expected to be reminded of his responsibilities when he arrives back at the training ground on Wednesday from his mid-season break. A Spurs spokesperson said: "Dele has recognised he made a grave error of judgment and has issued two separate apologies."
A statement from Kick it Out said it was disappointed to see the video. "However, we are pleased that Dele has acknowledged his mistake and apologised for the incident. Social media provides a welcome and powerful platform for players to connect with fans in a positive way. But that power comes with responsibility and racist stereotypes are not acceptable as 'banter' to be broadcast on social media."
It is only just over a week since Alli claimed the Kick It Out campaign was not doing enough to tackle racism, telling the OTRO YouTube channel: "With the whole racism issue in football, it definitely goes through ups and downs. But it's always there and I feel like every time it gets brought to light, it escalates again. With the banners, I can see what they are trying to do. But it's not really changed anything. I feel like more action needs to happen to actually kick it out."
Four more people tested positive for the coronavirus in the UK on Monday morning, taking the total number of cases to eight. The number of deaths in China rose to more than 900 over the weekend.
Should he be charged, Alli could face a fine or suspension, or both. A ban of any length would be a major blow to Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho, who is already without striker Harry Kane.
Mourinho has admitted he could not do without both players after Alli injured an ankle during the Premier League victory over Manchester City this month.
