English media reported that the 29-year-old’s comment was not appreciated by Barnsley, who decided to ‘deal with the matter internally’ without disclosing any sanctions on the striker.

“It has been investigated and Mido has been spoken to. The matter has been dealt with internally and action has been taken,” a club spokesman said.

Mido joined Barnsley on a free transfer last summer but spent most of the time in the treatment room due to hamstring and back problems.

He only made one appearance for the English Championship strugglers, who are third from bottom in the 24-team competition so far.