Hitchin Town striker Alfie Barker has been sacked after tweeting Harry Arter mocking the death of his daughter during the Cherries’ 3-3 draw against Arsenal on Tuesday night.
Barker first retweeted the Gunners' Twitter account that read: “YESSSSSSSS! #BOUvAFC 3-3 (90)” before tweeting Harry Arter saying: “@harryarter2 at least you didn’t lose your kid” followed by: “@harryarter2 big hype just for a disappointment like the 9 months leading up to your child’s birth.”
Barker first claimed his account had been hacked before apologising, but this was met with a torrent of abuse from disgraced fans from across the country.
Barker's sacking
The 19-year-old was registered with Hitchin but had seen limited action this season, instead playing for Langford FC and Codicote FC on loan.
His loan was terminated by Codicote before his parent club issued a statement that read: “Alfie Barker was registered to play for Hitchin Town in the Southern League and has appeared only briefly for the club in the 2016-17 season.
“He has been playing at Langford and latterly Codicote on a dual registration basis.
“The club adopts a responsible approach to social media and would expect any player connected to Hitchin Town to do likewise.
“In the light of the player’s irresponsible and anti-social behaviour, we are terminating Alfie Barker’s registration and relationship with the club with immediate effect.
“We would reiterate that Hitchin Town, as a community club with established links with various segments of the public, has been a long-time user of social media channels and expects all club stakeholders to use them appropriately.”