Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe caught breaking coronavirus lockdown guidelines
Arsenal have spoken to Nicolas Pepe and reminded him of his responsibilities after he and three of his teammates were caught flouting the government’s lockdown rules.
Footage shared on WhatsApp, obtained by The Sun, showed club-record signing Pepe playing football with friends in north London.
The Ivory Coast international’s strike partner Alexandre Lacazette was pictured having his car washed by a valet company, while experienced duo David Luiz and Granit Xhaka were reportedly spotted having a meetup in Southgate, north London.
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An Arsenal spokesman told The Sun: ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’ll be speaking to our players.
‘We were concerned so we have spoken to Nicolas who shares a house with a number of relatives who were involved in this game.
‘We have reminded him of the importance of everyone following the guidelines.’
The Arsenal quartet are the latest footballers to have broken the guidelines put in place to help slow the spread of coronavirus which has decimated the sporting calendar and claimed the lives of over 18,000 people in the UK alone.
Earlier this month Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was forced to apologise after he was seen conducting an outdoor training session with the club’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele, while Spurs were embarrassed again this week when Serge Aurrier posted a video of him training in public alongside teammate Moussa Sissoko.
‘We wish to apologise for not setting the right example here,’ the pair said in a joint statement.
‘We recognise that as professional footballers we have a responsibility to be role models, particularly during this uncertain period that everyone around the world is facing.
‘We must all respect the government advice to minimise the number of lives lost during this pandemic.
‘We cannot thank NHS staff enough for their tireless work at this time and we shall both be making a financial donation to show our support for their efforts.’
Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, meanwhile, was forced to make a grovelling apology after it was revealed he was fined £240,000 by his club Manchester City for holding a sex party at his home.
And Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish was embarrassed when he was pictured at the scene of car crash little over 24 hours after imploring the public to remain indoors and follow the government’s advice.
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