AN ENGLISH NON-LEAGUE footballer has apologised to Harry Arter for the ‘disgraceful comments’ he made to the Ireland international on social media over the death of his baby daughter.
After conducting an investigation into tweets sent from the personal account of player Alfie Barker, Hitchin Town Football Club have sacked the 19-year-old.
Barker initially claimed his Twitter account had been hacked after abusive messages were sent to Bournemouth midfielder Arter during last night’s 3-3 draw with Arsenal.
A tweet from an account in Barker’s name read: ”at least you didn’t lose your kid.”
A second message sent shortly after said: “big hype just for a disappointment like the 9 months leading up to your childs [sic] birth.”
Bournemouth and Arter reported the tweets directly after the game and the comments were then deleted from Barker’s account on Wednesday morning, before an apology was made.
But in a statement released this morning, Hitchin said the club was terminating the player’s registration in light of the incident.
“Alfie Barker was registered to play for Hitchin Town in the Southern League and has appeared only briefly for the club in the 2016-17 season,” a Hitchin club statement read.
“He has been playing at Langford and Codicote on a dual registration basis. The club adopts a responsible approach to social media and would expect any player connected to Hitchin Town to do likewise.
“In the light of the player’s irresponsible and anti-social behaviour, we are terminating Alfie Barker’s registration and relationship with the club with immediate effect.
“We would reiterate that Hitchin Town, as a community club with established links with various segments of the public, has been a long-time user of social media channels and expects all club stakeholders to use them appropriately.”
The Football Association (FA) is also said to be conducting its own investigation.
The disgusting abuse relates to the stillborn birth of Arter’s daughter, Renee, in December 2015.
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