01 November 2023 , 13:10
1226
0
Leicester star Hamza Choudhury will not be charged by the FA over his post in support of Palestine.
On Monday, Choudhury tweeted a picture of the Palestinian flag with the caption: "From the river to the sea". That phrase is part of a chant that has been branded hate speech by home secretary Suella Braverman.
Choudhury deleted the tweet and apologised for any offence that he caused, with Leicester bosses speaking to the midfielder. Now, the FA have revealed they will not be charging the Englishman.
But the governing body warned that any other footballers using the phrase could face stronger action, with police guidance to be sought on how to respond. They will be writing to all clubs to urge their players against using it.
"The player has apologised and deleted the tweet. We are strongly encouraging clubs to ensure that players do not post content which may be offensive or inflammatory to any community," an FA spokesperson said. "If this phrase is used again by a football participant, we will seek police guidance on how we should treat it and respond."
Transfer news live - Fernandez flying in for Chelsea and Man Utd land Sabitzer
Choudhury quickly apologised and deleted the tweet in question. Later on Monday, he issued a fresh statement insisting he had been misinterpreted and calling for a peaceful solution to be found to the conflict.
Choudhury is free to play for Leicester when they face Leeds on Friday (Clive Mason/Getty Images)"I want to address my earlier post which has unfortunately been misinterpreted. It was and is not my intention to cause offence to anyone but simply to show compassion for the innocent people that are suffering," he wrote.
"I'm sorry for any offence this has caused. I share the hope of people around the world that a peaceful resolution can bring an end to the ongoing suffering of innocent people in this conflict."
Leicester revealed they spoke to Choudhury about his post and shared their concern that his views could be open to misinterpretation. The midfielder is free to play for the Foxes and could feature against Leeds on Friday.
"We have discussed the matter with Hamza, and shared our concerns that views expressed in this manner - without sufficient context on a deeply nuanced and sensitive topic - are open to misinterpretation, which risks unintentional offence among sections of our communities.
"The thoughts of Leicester City Football Club remain with all the innocent victims of the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Palestine, their families and the communities affected."