LONDON -- Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino does not think Dele Alli's rude gesture on England duty is a big deal, and says far worse behaviour went unnoticed when he was a player.
The Football Association is waiting to find out if FIFA will take action against Alli after the Spurs midfielder raised his middle finger in Monday's 2-1 win over Slovakia at Wembley. Alli says the gesture was a "joke" directed at friend and former club-mate Kyle Walker, a claim supported by Pochettino, who insisted on Thursday that Alli's behaviour is "fantastic".
Pochettino began his career as a player in Argentina in 1989, when there were hardly any TV cameras on the players and anything missed by the referee was quickly forgotten.