Carlton Cole charged by FA after immigration jokefest on Twitter

Category: Football

Publish Date: 04-08-2011 03:32 PM -0400

Well, it turns out disparaging remarks and photoshopped pictures of referees aren't the only tweets the FA will take action against. They also don't like the immigration humor of West Ham and England striker Carlton Cole. During England's friendly against Ghana, Cole tweeted some jokes about the match and others against eastern European nations being sting operations for immigration officials to round up illegal aliens.  Cole thought they were quite funny, but others found them to be kind of offensive. So now the FA has charged him with improper conduct.

From Eurosport:

"Immigration has surrounded the wembley premises! I knew it was a trap! Hahahaha," Cole tweeted after the 1-1 draw.

"The only way to get out safely is to wear an england jersey and paint your face w/ the St. George's'flag!

"Next friendly is gonna be Poland then Albania, government think their sly! I see it a mile away! Haha."

Cole - whose parents are from Nigeria and Sierra Leone - removed the tweets, adding that they were meant humorously.

"To my ghanian brothers dont take it so seriously, its just jokes! Youve played well! Done africa proud!

"Why are there so many sensitive people out there! it was a joke & its not even racist!"

That's the thing with that kind of humor, Carlton. What works for a comedian on stage doesn't necessarily come off as nicely for a footballer with a Twitter account. Still, it seems a bit much to charge him with improper conduct for his misguided yet mostly harmless attempt at joking around on Twitter. But if that's the precedent they're setting, Rio Ferdinand is probably in for a 30-match ban in the very near future.

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