LONDON -- West Ham striker Carlton Cole has been fined by England's Football Association over jokes he made on Twitter during England's exhibition against Ghana last month.

The FA says Cole has been warned about his future conduct and fined $32,800.

Cole joked that the match at Wembley Stadium was a trap by the British government to find illegal immigrants. He deleted the comment but was still charged.

The players' union in England also issued a Twitter warning Wednesday.

Bobby Barnes, of the Professional Footballers' Association, said "we would advise players not to stop tweeting but to bear in mind that this is not an intimate private conversation but a medium open to a potentially wide audience."



Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press