Stoke City winger James McClean has insisted that the photo he put up on Instagram which showed him teaching his children in a balaclava was "supposed to be a light-hearted joke".
On Thursday, March 26, McClean posted an image of himself in a ski-mask sitting on a box in front of his two children, with the caption: 'Today's school lesson - History'.
The 30-year-old was widely criticised for the social media stunt, which was interpreted as an ill-advised reference to the Irish Republican Army.
Editors' Picks
The Republic of Ireland international released an official statement apologising for the post, and also deleted his Instagram account after being fined two week's wages by Stoke.