Chris Hughton warns of Twitter ‘boundaries’

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton has warned footballers to be wary of social media after defender Ryan Bennett fell foul of his Twitter account.

Bennett has been disciplined by the club and charged with misconduct by the FA over comments made on the social network. The 23-year-old has closed his account after being involved in some heated exchanges with supporters on the micro-blogging site, responding to one following Norwich’s defeat at Arsenal with: “I’ll finish you in a couple of seconds.”

Hughton confirmed it would not affect him selecting Bennett for Saturday’s encounter against Stoke but said: “We have a policy at the club [on social media] so it’s been dealt with at club level.

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“It is an issue which is being dealt with by the FA but it’s a reminder to those who decide to go on Twitter that when somebody like Ryan Bennett, who is a smashing lad, can have a charge pending then it can happen to anybody. If there needs to be a warning to anybody then it’s there.”

Hughton believes players must realise that there are lines they cannot cross. He said: “There is a responsibility for everybody that decides to have a Twitter account to what they say. They are individuals that are in the limelight and there are boundaries that they are not allowed to cross.

“It is difficult because those who go on it do so to put what they feel are things of interest that supporters might want to hear, but with that there come boundaries of what you can and what you cannot get involved in.”