EPL midfielder Eric Dier fined £40,000 and banned for four matches following breach of FA rules

EPL side Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Eric Dier has been handed a four-game ban along with a £40,000 penalty for breaching the rule E3 of the FA, following his side's defeat to Norwich City in the FA Cup.

The incident took place on March 4, when after losing to the Canaries in a penalty shootout, Dier ran straight into the stands. The EPL star's brother was reportedly abused by one of the fans, much to the disgust of the midfielder.

Fortunately, due to the interventions of the security personnel and people around that part of the stadium, there was no physical altercation between Dier and the fan.

The Metropolitan Police did look into the matter but chose not to pursue the case further. The FA, however, decided to take control of the situation by suspending the player and handing him a fine.

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EPL midfielder Eric Dier violates rule E3 of the FA

EPL star Dier seen in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium stands

The match was a pretty frustrating one for the Spurs faithful as they surrendered an early 1-0 lead to a Josip Drmic goal in the 78th minute. Jan Vertonghen scored the goal for the North Londoners before parity was restored by the relegation-threatened EPL side.

Experienced EPL shot-stopper Tim Krul, a shoot-out specialist, turned hero again as he denied Erik Lamela, Gedson Fernandes, and Troy Parrott from the spot to help his side win the penalty shoot-out 3-2.

The midfielder also apologised for threatening the fan later on. As a result, the EPL star will now miss all but one of Tottenham's remaining matches in the Premier League.

Eric Dier banned for four matches with immediate effect after FA punish him for entering the stands to confront a fan following Tottenham's FA Cup defeat to Norwich, prior to lockdown. £40k fine too. Mourinho will be livid. Only last week he claimed Dier should not be sanctioned.

— James Olley (@JamesOlley) July 8, 2020

The FA released a statement on the same:

"Eric Dier has been suspended for four matches with immediate effect, fined £40,000 and warned as to his future conduct following a breach of FA Rule E3."

The statement further read:

"The Tottenham Hotspur FC player admitted that his actions at the conclusion of a fixture against Norwich City FC in The FA Cup on 04 March 2020 were improper but denied that they were also threatening. An independent Regulatory Commission subsequently found Eric Dier's actions to be threatening."

Eric Dier has played every single minute in the EPL since the restart

The E3 rule of the FA includes misconduct in the tunnels and technical areas of the ground.

Dier has been a vital cog for Spurs since the EPL restart, completing 90 minutes in each of the four matches his side has played.

Jose Mourinho, who has used Dier extensively since being appointed as the Tottenham manager, will definitely rue his absence at the heart of the Spurs defence. In his absence, it is likely that Davinson Sanchez will partner Toby Alderweireld.

Football is back pic.twitter.com/Zvxftd5wOB

— Eric Dier (@ericdier) June 18, 2020

Tottenham, who have won only two of their four EPL matches since the Premier League restarted, will be desperate to build on their narrow victory against Everton when they take on Bournemouth later tomorrow.

Jose Mourinho's side are currently sitting in eighth place, 11 points behind fourth-placed Leicester City.

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