London (AFP)
"It's not something we should laugh at": Dele Alli apologized on Sunday for a joke he made on the Snapchat social network about the coronavirus, a joke on which the English Football Federation ( FA) opened an investigation, according to British media.
In this video published on Snapchat on Saturday, the player's face was crossed by a protective mask and a message was displayed: "Corona what, turn up the volume". Followed by a video where he zoomed in on an Asian man, then the photo of a bottle of antiseptic, with the message "This virus will have to be faster than that to catch me".
Faced with outraged reactions, the video was deleted, prompting the player to express himself: "I want to apologize for this video," he said on the Chinese social network Weibo on Sunday. The coronavirus, which has killed more than 900 people in mainland China and infected more than 40,000 people, "is not something to be laughed at," he said.
British media reports claim that the FA asked the player to explain himself on this video. Dele Alli, 23, risks a suspension or a fine, the FA supervising the publications of professional players on social networks.
© 2020 AFP