Gray requests personal hearing on FA charge

Burnley striker Andre Gray has requested a personal hearing to answer Football Association charges relating to homophobic posts from his Twitter account in 2012.

The tweets were shared across social media after he scored in his side’s 2-0 Premier League win over Liverpool last month, including one that read: “Is it me or are there gays everywhere? #Burn #Die #Makesmesick”.

Gray issued an apology in which he claimed he was now a “wholly different person” and did “not hold the beliefs written in those tweets whatsoever”.

The FA nonetheless issued a charge of misconduct and had until 6PM on Monday to answer charges of comments deemed to be “abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or bringing the game into disrepute” contrary to FA Rule E3(1).

Burnley have now confirmed that Gray has asked for a personal hearing.

No date has yet been determined for the hearing.