Liverpool legend Ryan Babel seeks Elon Musk legal help to overturn 12-year-old FA fine for Man Utd outburst

Liverpool legend Ryan Babel could ask Twitter owner Elon Musk to help him recoup a £10,000 FA fine imposed on the forward more than a decade ago.

The forward, who is still on the books at Dutch side Eyüpspor, took to social media on Tuesday after Elon Musk promised to fund the legal bill of any Twitter - now X - users who had got themselves into trouble at work through anything shared on the platform.

The businessman wrote: "If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know."

In 2011, Babel found himself in hot water after posting a critical Tweet about referee Howard Webb. Liverpool had just lost 1-0 to rivals Manchester United with the referee awarding a first-minute penalty and later sending off Steven Gerrard.

Sharing a doctored image of Webb wearing a Manchester United kit, Babel wrote: "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke. SMH [shaking my head]."

The Tweet led to FA action and Babel was eventually fined £10,000 by the footballing body, who ruled that sharing such views online equated to a 'public statement' in the rulebook. The star later apologised for what he called 'an emotional reaction after losing an important game'.

In summing up, the regulatory commission chairman at the time, Roger Burden, said: "Social network sites must be regarded as being in the public domain.

"All participants need to be aware, in the same way as if making a public statement in other forms of media, that any comments would be transmitted to a wider audience. It is their responsibility to ensure only appropriate comments are used."

That moment clearly still sits with the former Premier League star, who made 146 appearances for Liverpool and scored 22 goals. Sharing an image of Musk's promise of legal help and the old FA fine headline, Babel joked: "You guys think I could reclaim my Howard Webb fine of £10k back from @elonmusk? Just wondering."

Liverpool fans online labelled Babel a 'legend' and 'what a guy' as over 1.5 million people saw the player's post. One user added: "Probably the best thing I’ve seen on Twitter since, well, since I can remember."