Tottenham Hotspur duo Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko have apologised for flouting social distancing rules and training together despite the UK government’s guidelines barring people to train on exercising with anyone outside their own house members. In a video on his Instagram story, now deleted, Aurier could be seen running shuttles and sitting alongside his Spurs teammate Sissoko amid the coronavirus lockdown in the country, which has already seen over 17,000 deaths and over a lakh affected with the pandemic. "We wish to apologise for not setting the right example here," the footballers later said in a joint apology statement. Neymar Flaunts Perfect Shaped Body While Taking Shower, Urges Fans to ‘Stay Strong’ Amid Coronavirus Crisis (View Pic).

Aurier and Sissoko became the third Tottenham pair to breach the lockdown advisory. Two weeks ago, Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was pictured holding a special training session with new signing Tanguy Ndombele while Ryan Sessegnon and Davinson Sanchez were videoed running alongside each other in a park in North London on the same day. A spokesperson from Tottenham mentioned that the club will speak to both the players separately about the incident. When Cristiano Ronaldo Angered Fernando Torres During Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid, Champions League 2017 Semi-Final (Watch Video).

Moussa Sissoko and Serge Aurier Train Together

“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,” Sissoko and Aurier said in a joint statement.  “We wish to apologise for not setting the right example here. 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.”

Days earlier Mourinho had admitted he was wrong to breach the advisory and oversee a training session with some of the players involved. In the video, Aurier was seen wearing a mask as he ran alongside his club teammate Sissoko. The Ivory Coast full-back had in the past uploaded a video of him running alongside a friend and was reprimanded by the club for it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 10:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).