Spurs' players apologise for social distancing breach

Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier and midfielder Moussa Sissoko have apologised for breaching government guidelines on social distancing during the novel coronavirus outbreak after posting a video of themselves training together.

Ivorian Aurier shared a series videos on social media of himself and Frenchman Sissoko doing shuttle runs together but later deleted them.

“We wish to apologise for not setting the right example here,” the pair said in a joint statement released to the British media.

“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... and we shall both be making a financial donation to show our support.”

The Premier League was suspended last month because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government has asked the public to stay at home to help slow the spread of the virus.

Reported cases of the virus have crossed 2.5 million globally and more than 172,900 people have died.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was photographed at an outdoor training session at Hadley Common with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele earlier this month.

Defenders Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon were also filmed by passers-by running together through the park.