Steven Taylor tweet: Defender apologises for sending out ‘racist’ joke tweet to Newcastle team-mates

Taylor may now be charged by the FA however

Steven Taylor has apologised for sending out a bizarre tweet which could be construed as racist (GETTY IMAGES)

Newcastle United’s Steven Taylor has apologised for sending out a bizarre tweet which could be construed as racist, but may yet be charged by the Football Association.

In a quick response to a tweet from team-mate Massadio Haidara of France, who sent out a message teasing Taylor for his attempts to learn the French language, the English defender posted a picture apparently mocking his black team-mates Papiss Cisse, Vurnon Anita, Moussa Sissoko and Haidara, with the caption: “It's always good to see you guys smiling.”

Taylor took the tweet down almost immediately after it was posted and Haidara also quickly posted a message saying it was just a joke between friends. "It's just bander [sic] with Papiss, Massi, Vurn and me. He joke with me 2 minutes before".

After receiving complaints on the social networking side, Taylor wrote: “Apologies if my tweet offended anybody.”

The 27-year-old, though, could yet face a charge by the FA or action by his club, who have strict guidelines on their use of social media.