Fifa bans Delle Alli for one match for obscene gesture

Delle Alli will be able to play in England's final Group F match on 8 October in Lithuania. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

World football's governing body Fifa on Friday handed a one match ban to the England midfielder Dele Alli for making an offensive gesture during his country's World Cup qualifying win over Slovakia on 4 September.

The 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur star will sit out the qualifier against Slovenia at Wembley on 5 October. He will also be fined 4,000 euros.

Alli was caught on camera making a middle finger gesture which he later claimed was directed at his teammate Kyle Walker rather than the referee.

"The disciplinary committee was not convinced that the player directed the gesture at the referee," a statement said.

It added: "Regardless of whether it was allegedly directed at a teammate, it did consider such gesture to be offensive and unsporting and therefore it amounted to a violation of art. 57 of the Fifa disciplinary code."

England have a five point cushion over second placed Slovakia ahead of the final two games in Group F. Victory at Wembley will lead to a sixth consecutive qualification for the 1966 champions.