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Some **** at the Graun
The Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has decided not to contest a Football Association charge of violent conduct and is expected to incur a three-game ban with immediate effect, ending his domestic season.
The charge relates to an incident with West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob during the first half of Monday’s 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, a stalemate which left Spurs seven points off the top of the Premier League with three games to play. The 20-year-old England international appeared to punch Yacob in the stomach. It has been suggested Alli was frustrated believing he had previously been twice caught deliberately off the ball by Yacob.
The incident in the goalmouth was not witnessed by the referee, Mike Jones, at the time and this allowed the FA to refer it to a three-man panel of former elite referees who reviewed video footage and determined unanimously that it was worthy of a charge. Alli could argue the misdemeanour is not worthy of a three-match sanction – confirmation is likely to come on Thursday – though it does seem likely he will now be suspended for Tottenham’s final three games: against Chelsea on Monday, Southampton and Newcastle United. Indeed, his next involvement on the field could be for England in their warm-up fixture, against Turkey in Manchester on 22 May, before Euro 2016.
Spurs’ draw against Tony Pulis’s side meant Leicester City need a maximum of three more points from three fixtures to secure their first top-flight title and end Tottenham’s pursuit. Alli’s reaction appeared to be born of frustration after he had twice been upended by Yacob earlier in the game, his patience finally snapping as he appeared to swing an arm into the West Brom midfielder’s midriff.
The Tottenham head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, suggested after the match that Alli had become a target for provocation. “I hear some comments but I have no time to see the action,” Pochettino said. “Sometimes the opponent find him and try to provoke. They know he has a strong character and may react. I don’t know what has happened, we will see. I have nothing to comment now but Dele has a strong character if you wind him up.”
Regardless, Alli been involved in a couple of scrapes during his breakthrough season at the highest level. In January the Crystal Palace manager, Alan Pardew, accused him of stamping on Yohan Cabaye during Spurs’ 3-1 win at Selhurst Park, and in February Alli escaped with only a booking after kicking out at Fiorentina’s Nenad Tomovic in a Europa League last-32 match.
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