Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier handed four-game ban over fan confrontation
Eric Dier
Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier has been handed a four-match ban while being slapped by a £40,000 fine for confronting a supporterby climbing into the stands after Spurs’ exit to Norwich in FA Cup.
Football Association sanction the ban on the England international on a charge of misconduct for the incident, which took place on March 4, when football was played with fans in the stadium.
Dier, after Spur’s lost the penalty shootout against Norwich, saw his brother being abused by a fan and climbed into the stands to his aid. While there was no physical exchange, the matter was not pursued by the police after a brief investigation. However, the FA decided to punish Dier.
"Eric Dier has been suspended for four matches with immediate effect, fined £40,000 ($50,000) and warned as to his future conduct following a breach of FA Rule E3," it said in a statement.
"The Tottenham Hotspur FC player admitted that his actions at the conclusion of a fixture against Norwich City FC in The FA Cup on 4 March 2020 were improper but denied that they were also threatening.
"An independent regulatory commission subsequently found Eric Dier's actions to be threatening."
The ban rules Dier out of all but one of Spur’s remaining Premier League matches is set to anger his manager Jose Mourinho, who defended his player. Recently, the Portuguese said that he didn’t expect Dier to receive any punishment after the FA chose not to sanction Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi for grabbing Neal Maupay around the neck.
Dier’s absence is set to be a massive blow for Spurs who are in race to secure European football next season. The England international has been the first choice in central defence since the 2019-20 season restarted in June.