Gary Lineker's Lightens the Mood on Twitter After Dele Alli Gets One Match Ban for Middle Finger

BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Linker has responded to Dele Alli's one-match ban for the now infamous middle finger salute during England's clash with Slovakia.

The Tottenham midfielder had been waiting for disciplinary action from the FA following an incident during England's World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia earlier this month where he was caught raising his middle finger, initially believed to be at the referee. 

That sparked fear that Alli could receive a three-match ban before manager Gareth Southgate revealed the gesture was to his England and former Spurs teammate Kyle Walker, to which Alli has now been handed a single match ban for his actions, along with a fine of around £3,800. 

Fans and pundits reacted in different ways stating that the gesture was unsporting and unprofessional with others saying it was something minor and didn't require punishment. However, Linker saw the lighter side tweeting: "Dele Alli gets one game for one finger. Just a [sic] he didn't give the V sign"

Slovakia dominated the home side for most of the match taking the lead early courtesy of a Marek Hamsik goal, but England dug deep to comeback and win the match 2-1 with Eric Dier scoring first before Marcus Rashford sealed the win for the Three Lions. 

Alli will now miss the Slovenia clash at Wembley but he will return for the final qualifying match away to Lithuania where fans will be expecting England's participation in Russia to be already confirmed. 

The more interesting matches will be the fight for second place with Slovenia, Slovakia and Scotland all contending for the second qualifying place in October.