JAKARTA - Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho will not be tried by the FA on a controversial tweet celebrating the save of goalkeeper Andre Onana's penalty in the Champions League match.
The Argentine posted a picture of Onana and her colleagues celebrating the important save that kept the 1-0 win at Old Trafford. However, the tweet was also accompanied by two gorilla emojis, which antiration campaign groups say are considered very demeaning.
Onana said afterwards that people couldn't choose what should have offended me. "I know exactly what [Alejandro Garnacho] meant: strength and strength. This problem shouldn't continue," Onanan said.
Garnacho then removed the post, and the FA, which had asked for an explanation from the player, has now decided not to take further action.
"We have completed an investigation related to the latest post on Alejandro Garnacho's social media. We are looking for an explanation of the players as part of our investigation, and he explains that the use of two gorilla emojis is meant to highlight the strengths and strengths of his teammates - in particular Andre Onana and Harry Maguire - after the important role they played in Manchester United's victory over FC Copenhagen," said the FA spokesman.
"We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho's explanation and the context he has given, so we will not publish disciplinary action in this regard. However, we have reminded players of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis, especially those that can be interpreted in various ways," the spokesman added.
"We also intend to coordinate with Kick It Out and PFA to discuss other potential issues surrounding the use of emojis and similar forms of messages, as well as education that can be provided about them," he added.
There is a precedent where players are subject to sanctions over social media posts containing discriminatory references that are only meant to joke, even if the intention is not to hurt.
Former Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani was sentenced to a three-match ban and a fine of 100,000 in 2020 when he posted comments on social media containing racially abusive words to thank a fan.
In 2019, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was sentenced to a one-match ban, a fine of 50,000 pounds, and ordered to take an education course for a tweet demeaning fellow player, Benjamin Mendy.
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Sporting Equals, which was founded to promote ethnic diversity, said in a statement after the tweet that it was important for Garnacho to learn from mistakes surrounding "cultural sensitivity". The group called on Premier League clubs to improve their education programs.
"This is an opportunity to learn for Garnacho and football in general. The focus should be on Onana's current appearance, not on less sensitive comments - regardless of good intentions," the organization said.
"In an effort to avoid this from happening again, we will encourage all Premier clubs and Leagues to review training, provide education, and provide information. Understanding the life experience of teammates will help reduce the risk of saying or writing something that can be considered less sensitive. We want to emphasize that this is not an excuse to criticize Garnacho, but an opportunity to be better at football," Sporting Equals said.
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