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Image source, Reuters
Cavani deleted and apologized for the publication that led him to be sanctioned.
Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani received a three-game suspension and a 100,000-pound (about $ 135,000) fine for a social media post.
The 33-year-old Uruguayan pleaded guilty to the Football Association (FA), the governing body of English football that had brought charges against him for the use of “insulting and / or inappropriate words.”
Cavani posted a message on Instagram on November 29 saying “Thank you, Negrito” in response to a friend’s congratulations for scoring the winning goal against Southampton.
The “Matador” deleted the post and apologized when he was made to see the burden that the term could have.
In addition to the suspension and the fine, Cavani will have to follow a classroom course.
The suspension takes effect immediately, so Cavani will not be able to play the Premier league game between his team and Aston Villa on New Years.
He will also miss the League Cup semi-final against Manchester City on January 6 and the FA Cup third round match against Watford on January 9.
Image source, Reuters
Cavani said that the intention of his message was simply to warmly thank a friend.
Cavani issued an apology shortly after posting the post on Instagram following United’s comeback against Southampton (3-2).
“I wrote it as a warm greeting to a friend, to thank him for his congratulations after the game,” explained the former Napoli and Paris St. Germain forward.
“The last thing I wanted to do was offend anyone. I am strongly opposed to racism and deleted the message as soon as I knew it could be interpreted differently. “
FA sanction
The FA charged Cavani for the post on December 17
In line with the new guidelines approved last summer, the FA explained that the post was “insulting and / or abusive and / or inappropriate and / or discredited the sport.”
It also alleged that the comment constitutes an infringement aggravated by “including a reference, either express or implied, to color and / or race and / or ethnic origin.”
Image source, fake images
Before Manchester United, Cavani played for Napoli and PSG.
In response to the decision, Manchester United released a statement saying: “Despite your sincere belief that you were simply sending a warm thank you in response to a congratulatory message from a close friend, [Cavani] chose not to contest the accusation out of respect and solidarity with the FA and the fight against racism in football. “
“While it is clear that context and intent are key factors, we note that the independent Regulatory Commission was required to impose a minimum three-game suspension. The club trusts that the independent Regulatory Commission will make clear in its written reasons that Edinson Cavani He is not racist, nor was there any racist intent in connection with his post. “
“A great lesson for Cavani and for all English football”
Analysis by Simon Stone, a BBC reporter specializing in soccerthe was
This is a pretty big lesson, not just for Cavani and United but for all of English football.
There is sympathy towards the Uruguayan for what is seen as an innocent personal post.
However, there is simply no excuse for not having been aware of a larger aspect: the society in which you live. Either he should have been aware, or the club should have made him see the offense he could cause.
Mixed reactions
Cavani’s message generated a wave of criticism in the UK, but the forward has also received support.
Among them, the one from the Academia Argentina de Letras stands out, which regretted that a colloquial expression that is used affectionately in both Argentina and Uruguay has been misinterpreted.
“Any user of our language in this part of the world understands that this word, used in the context that gave rise to the punitive measure, has a clear affective meaning, completely free from any discriminatory or racist nuance“said the statement from this body signed by the vice president, José Luis Moure, last week.
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