Harry Kane has said the Football Association was silly to poke fun at his performance in Tottenham’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United and questioned why people feel the need to mock England players before the World Cup.
The striker was kept quiet by United’s Chris Smalling at Wembley and after the game, which United won 2-1, the official FA Cup account tweeted: “What’s that in your pocket, Chris?” and linked to an unrelated video of the defender saying: “Harry Kane.”
The tweet was deleted and the FA apologised to Tottenham and United “for any offence caused”. Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager, branded the game’s governing body an embarrassment last week. Kane is relaxed about the issue but he pointed out it was an odd way for the FA to treat one of its own.
“The FA tweet was a silly tweet,” Kane said. “We all know that. I talked to the gaffer about it and all we said was: ‘Would other countries do that to their players?’ Probably not.
“It is something that has gone. Two weeks ago now or whatever – I am over it. The gaffer may have said I am sad but I am focused. I am a guy that gets over things. If it happened, it happened. I move on and look forward to the next game and that is all I worry about.”
Kane, who scored his 38th goal of the season in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Watford on Monday, added that England players receive too much flak at times.
“It’s strange,” he said. “Maybe it’s a mentality thing. It is easier nowadays maybe to banter England players or take the mickey out of the England players. So if we don’t do well in the World Cup, then they can write and say: ‘We told you so.’ But that is maybe a weaker mentality.
“It is what it is. We are focusing on what we have got to do. We have got to go with the mindset and belief we can do it. We try to win everything we go into. The World Cup is no different.”
Kane has been the butt of a few jokes since fighting to be credited with a goal that brushed off him against Stoke on 7 April. However he has no plans to step away from social media.
“On social media you get a few people who don’t see eye to eye and it is being a fan and having an opinion,” he said. “I will always engage with my fans. It is just a small number of fans who maybe go over the mark but that is just life. You cannot get too down about that.”
