Everton defender Holgate warned for alleged homophobic tweets

London, March 24: Mason Holgate has been warned by the Football Association (FA) after allegedly posting homophobic insults on Twitter earlier in his career.

The Everton defender deleted his Twitter account after historical messages - dated between 2012 and 2013 - were uncovered that included offensive language.

This followed January's Merseyside derby in which Holgate alleged that Roberto Firmino used a discriminatory comment towards him. The Liverpool striker was cleared of wrongdoing.

The FA has now concluded its investigation into Holgate, giving the player a warning and directing him to undertake a mandatory inclusion programme.

[1/2] The FA has concluded its investigation into historic tweets posted by Everton’s Mason Holgate.
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) March 23, 2018

[2/2] Having carefully considered all of the available evidence, including his response, the tweets themselves and a response from the club, the player has been given a formal warning and directed to undertake a mandatory FA inclusion programme.
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) March 23, 2018