Two-week ban for Elliott

HARVEY ELLIOTT, a 16year-old Liverpool prodigy, has been banned for two weeks for a social media post in which he insulted England captain Harry Kane. The FA charged Elliott in August after a video from the night of the Champions League final emerged of him impersonating Kane in a derogatory way. The footage did not appear on Elliott’s social media channels, but was shared privately by a small group of people and then circulated further after he joined Liverpool from Fulham. Elliott expressed regret and publicly apologised to Kane via social media when the video emerged. He admitted the FA charge and was punished for an ‘aggravated breach’ because the insult included reference to a disability, although Elliott said he was not aware of the origin of the word he used. As well as being banned until October 24, he was fined £350 and must attend an FA educational programme. Liverpool have given him social media training and made it clear that any further episodes would breach their values and code of conduct, while he has also been spoken to at length by skipper Jordan Henderson. The FA took all that into account, along with his apology, explanation and his age, but chose to ban him from all domestic football for a fortnight because of ‘the gravity of the conduct and the effect it has had on the reputation of the game as a whole and the players and clubs involved’. Elliott became the Premier League’s youngest player when he came on as a sub for Fulham at Wolves in May.