Cole fined over tweet

West Ham striker Carlton Cole has been fined 20,000 pounds and was warned about his tweets regarding England’s friendly with Ghana.

The FA announced the punishment on Wednesday after a hearing with England’s Cole, who had earlier admitted to a charge of improper conduct over the offending comments published on social networking site Twitter.

Cole, while watching England’s 1-1 friendly draw with Ghana on March 29, tweeted: “Immigration has surrounded the Wembley premises! I knew it was a trap! Hahahaha.”

“The only way to get out safely is to wear an England jersey and paint your face w/ the St. George’s flag!”

He later deleted the offending remarks but not before they were brought to the attention of the FA, who subsequently charged the 27-year-old.

The punishment is twice as much as Ryan Babel was fined earlier in the season, after the former Liverpool striker tweeted a mocked-up picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt.