Tottenham rap Assou-Ekotto over race tweet

 

Benoit Assou-Ekotto was at the centre of another French race storm on Tuesday after it emerged that he had invited anti-Semitic comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala to a game at Tottenham, insisting he would ‘love it’.

In a tweet that has now been deleted, the Tottenham left back — currently on loan at QPR — messaged the man who invented the controversial quenelle gesture used by Nicolas Anelka to celebrate a goal for West Brom on Saturday at West Ham.

French-born Assou-Ekotto said: ‘oh dieudo tu vien quand voir un match a tottenham? Tu va adore … LOL.’

In English it reads: “When are you coming to watch a match at Tottenham? You’ll love it … LOL.”

The tweet, sent on November 18, is open to interpretation, but in the context of a tweet he then posted in support of Anelka at the weekend, it is sure to concern a club with strong Jewish roots. On December 28, Assou-Ekotto tweeted Anelka, saying: ‘jte fellicite man belle keunel epaule.’

Translated, it means: “I congratulate you on the beautiful quenelle.”

The tweet is written in French slang but a French linguist told Sportsmail that ‘keunel epaule’ is a text-language spelling for the ‘quenelle épaulée’, referring to the ‘shoulder’ quenelle.

That tweet has also now been deleted by Cameroon defender Assou-Ekotto, 29, but Tottenham issued a statement in response. “The matter has been discussed with the player and, while he meant no offence by his post, he accepts this was ill-advised and deleted the tweet,” it said.