Tuesday 10 December 2019 13:14, UK
The FA have banned and fined Saif Rubie, the agent of former Liverpool striker Bobby Duncan, over an “improper” use of Twitter.
Rubie has received a £10,000 fine and a ban from "all intermediary activities" for six weeks, up until January 15th, for two breaches of the FA's rule E3. He will also have to attend an FA education programme for improper use of social media within four months.
The punishment relates to two Twitter posts Rubie made - the first, on 12 July 2018, containing a reference to Adam Johnson, the second, on 2 July 2019, following England's semi-final defeat by the United States at the Women's World Cup.
The FA said Rubie's 2018 post "was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute", while the 2019 message was "improper and/or abusive and/or insulting" and constituted an "aggravated breach" of FA rules as it "included an implied reference to gender".
The agent, ordinarily resident in Dubai, has the right to appeal against the ruling.
Rubie launched an attack on Liverpool in August, accusing them of "bullying and mentally destroying" Duncan days before the striker sealed a move to Serie A side Fiorentina on a three-year deal.
In a series of Twitter posts, the agent was heavily critical of Reds sporting director Michael Edwards, and claimed Duncan "will never go back to Liverpool again and my only concern now is his mental health and well being."
Liverpool launched a stern defence of the accusations and Rubie faced social media backlash which led him to close his Twitter account.
Duncan, cousin of Steven Gerrard, has been playing for Fiorentina's U19 Primavera side, scoring four goals in his first 12 appearances in Italy.
