Alli ‘fully understands his responsibilities’, says Southgate
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate hopes “common sense prevails” as Dele Alli sweats on a potential FIFA ban.
The Three Lions sit five points clear at the top of Group F and on the brink of World Cup qualification ahead of Slovenia’s visit and the trip to Lithuania.
However, England may have to do without one of their star men for the end of qualification as the Football Association await the outcome of disciplinary proceedings against Alli.
The 21-year-old’s ill-judged middle-finger gesture in the match against Slovakia has been pored over by FIFA, leaving the attacking midfielder potentially facing a ban for the end of qualification and maybe beyond.
“Nope, nothing at the moment (from FIFA), so we’ve put him in the squad,” Southgate said.
“Obviously we run the risk of looking a shambles because he could get withdrawn again in half an hour. Our hope, obviously, is that common sense prevails and that he is available for our matches, but we have to wait and see on that.”
Earlier this week FIFA confirmed that their Disciplinary Committee would make a decision on Alli by yesterday, but warned “disciplinary decisions are usually notified and communicated a few days after the hearing”.
Alli and the FA are sweating on the outcome of that meeting, while Southgate has spoken to the player about unwise behaviour he is confident will not be repeated. “Of course we always talk about players being role models, and in the calmness of sitting here and in the calmness of most day-to-day situations you’re able to fulfil that,” he said.
“In the middle of the pressure of a game, then everybody can react at different moments in different ways.
“It’s easy to sit here, everybody is a different personality type, so some are more likely to react in the heat of the moment than others.
“Dele fully understands his responsibilities, he knows that it’s something he won’t do again.
“There is a grey area here because I see players, coaches swearing, not with hand gestures, but not being punished. There’s an interesting debate there for the sport generally and the handling of the sport, but, he fully understands what’s happened now and he understands that everybody’s looking at him.
“He is playing for England, that comes with additional spotlight, and he is a young man. He will learn from those things.”
Alli was part of the 26-man squad named at St George’s Park yesterday – a group hampered by injuries ahead of England’s final World Cup qualifiers.
Southgate is without as many as 12 players through injury for this meet-up, with such paucity of options particularly striking in a midfield.
Nathaniel Chalobah, Adam Lallana and Danny Drinkwater’s absence saw former Leeds United midfielder Fabian Delph called up by Southgate for the first time, despite having not started a Premier League match for Manchester City this season. England squad for World Cup qualifers
against Slovenia and Lithuania: Joe Hart (West Ham, on loan from Man City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton); Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jones (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Leicester), John Stones (Man City), Michael Keane (Everton), Chris Smalling (Man Utd), Kyle Walker (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham); Eric Dier (Tottenham), Fabian Delph (Man City), Jake Livermore (West Brom), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd), Dele Alli (Tottenham); Marcus Rashford (Manchester Utd), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Bournemouth), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool).