Port Vale striker banned for one game after ‘Rothschilds’ tweet
Tom Pope has been reprimanded for 'improper' comments on social media, and fined £1,500 after breaching the Football Association's rules
Port Vale striker Tom Pope has been banned for one game due to “improper” Twitter comments, the Football Association has announced.
The 34-year-old has also been fined £1,500 after a breach of FA Rule E3 was found proven by an independent regulatory commission.
The PA news agency understands that this is a separate matter to social media activity from Pope earlier this month which the FA is continuing to look into.
On January 6, Pope apologised for a tweet he sent when asked to “predict the WWIII result” after scoring in his side’s 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
His reply, which was later deleted, read: “We invade Iran then Cuba then North Korea then the Rothchilds (sic) are crowned champions of every bank on the planet.”
A statement from Pope published by his club stated that he was “unaware of any link between the Rothschild family and the Jewish community”.
Pope had previously created a storm on social media after his goal in the third-round FA Cup tie at the Etihad Stadium backed up his pre-match bravado in a personal battle with City defender John Stones.
Last summer Pope mocked Stones in a tweet, claiming he would score 40 goals a season if he faced the England international every week.
In a follow-up post after the match, Pope joked: “I’d just like to say I was completely wrong and bang out of order to say I’d score 40 a season… it’s more like 50.”
Port Vale reported the news of Pope’s ban on their website but added that the club would be making no further comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
