Dele Alli will finally learn his fate in the coming days relating to an FA charge of alleged discrimination bringing the game into disrepute that was initially made in February - and whether it rule him out of Tottenham's clash with Manchester United next week.
Alli was charged on 24 February when he made a post on Snapchat referring to the coronavirus outbreak and appeared to mock an Asian man.
But with English football suspended before his case was dealt with, it is only now as the Premier League prepares to return in a little over a week that a verdict on possible sanctions will be reached.
A report from the Evening Standard explains that the case will be heard by a three-man independent commission on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.
The newspaper notes that Alli, who deleted the original post and apologised, will explain to the commission that it was a ‘misguided joke’ and also highlight the fact that it was not posted in a public setting and only appeared in national newspapers when it was leaked from a private group.
The potential precedent for sanctions was set last year when Manchester City player Bernardo Silva was suspended for one game and fined after an ill-advised tweet intended as a joke about teammate and friend Benjamin Mendy was deemed racist and discriminatory.
If Alli is handed a similar punishment, it would rule him out of Spurs’ first game of ‘Project Restart’ when Manchester United make the trip to north London.
That clash on Friday 19 June is a huge one for both teams in the hunt for Champions League places. Spurs currently trail United by three places and four points, with fifth position potentially enough to get into Europe’s elite competition next season if Manchester City lose their CAS appeal.
Sheffield United, sixth, Wolves, seventh, and Arsenal, ninth, are also in the hunt for Europe.
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Source : 90min