A British man has been charged with sending an abusive message via Twitter to Tal Ben Haim, an Israeli soccer player who has played in England since 2004, according to British media reports on Friday.
Matthew Smith, 33, of Andover in southern England has been charged with improper use of a public electronic communications network.
The contents of the tweet were not available, but according to the Portsmouth News, the offending tweet was racially abusive. If convicted, Smith could be fined or face up to six months in prison.
The tweet was sent earlier this month before Ben Haim struck a deal to leave cash-strapped English club Portsmouth.
Smith will appear at Andover Magistrates’ Court on Sept. 27.
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Ben Haim is reportedly searching for a new club since leaving third-tier club Portsmouth. In the past eight years he has played for Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Manchester City, and had two stints with Portsmouth. In Israel he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 1998-2003.
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