West Ham's Carlton Cole fined £20,000 by FA for breaching social media rules

West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has been fined £20,000 by the Football Association for breaching rules in relation to social media.

The 31-year-old accepted the FA's charge for using language that was deemed "abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brings the game into disrepute".

Cole has now been punished by the English governing body for replying to a Tottenham Hotspur fan on Twitter by writing: "F off you c***".

A statement from the FA read: "Following an independent regulatory commission hearing today, Carlton Cole has been fined £20,000 after he admitted breaching FA Rules in relation to social media.

"The West Ham United player, who was also severely warned as to his future conduct, admitted posting a comment on his Twitter account."

The social media exchange was in relation to a 2-2 draw between Spurs and West Ham in February.