Michael Ball fined for homophobic Twitter comment
- Published
Former Everton and Manchester City defender Ball has one England cap
Former England defender Michael Ball has been fined £6,000 by the Football Association for making homophobic comments on Twitter.
The FA says it is the highest fine received by a player for homophobia.
Ball admitted acting in an improper way after he was charged for a tweet about Coronation Street actor Anthony Cotton, external.
The ex-Everton and Manchester City left-back, 32, released by Championship side Leicester on Monday, external, has been warned about his future conduct.
It is believed Leicester's decision to cancel Ball's contract by mutual consent was not made as a result of his comments, while the remarks have since been deleted from Ball's Twitter account, external.
The governing body has previously warned players about their conduct when using social media, external.
An FA spokesman told the BBC the message was reinforced to clubs and players last week.
Mr Cotton, 36, has played gay character Sean Tully since joining the Coronation Street cast in 2003. He recently appeared in reality television show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, external.