Tottenham are at the centre of another social distancing breach during the coronavirus crisis, this time involving Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko.
The duo could be in trouble after flouting Government lockdown regulations by training together on Monday, with right back Aurier posting footage on Instagram of them going through their paces. He quickly deleted the videos.
A Spurs spokesperson said: ‘We shall be speaking to both players involved.’
Later, Aurier and Sissoko issued a joint statement. ‘We recognise that as professional footballers we have a responsibility to be role models, particularly during this uncertain period that everyone around the world is facing,’ they said. ‘We wish to apologise for not setting the right example. We must all respect the Government advice to minimise the number of lives lost during this pandemic.
‘We cannot thank NHS staff enough for their tireless work and we shall both be making a donation to show our support for their efforts.’
In the first clip Aurier, wearing a mask, films midfielder Sissoko while appearing to respect the requirement to be at least two metres apart. But in the following clips they can be seen performing running drills and sitting alongside each other.
💻 💪 Join Jose and the squad for a virtual training session! #SpursAtHome⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/lBgjYf7nsd
— Tottenham Hotspur (at 🏡) (@SpursOfficial) April 22, 2020
Spurs were left frustrated, especially as the incident follows another storm a fortnight ago which led to criticism from the Government.
Manager Jose Mourinho was forced to admit his actions were ‘not in line with Government protocol’ after he held a one-on-one session with Tanguy Ndombele on Hadley Common, Barnet.
On the same day, Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon, plus Aurier and a friend, were seen training nearby.