Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor has sparked controversy after posting a message on Twitter that could be deemed racist.

The 27-year-old tagged black teammates Papiss Cisse, Massadio Haidara, Vurnon Anita and Moussa Sissoko in a tweet displaying an image of four random black men.

Taylor accompanied the photograph with the caption: "It's always good to see you guys smiling."

Haidara later posted a message from his account saying: "Is Just Bander with Papiss , Moussa , Vurn' and Me . He joke with me 2 min before."

Take a look at Taylor's controversial tweet below: