Strong penalty for Manchester United striker Cavani

Cavani, 33, was banned from playing for 3 games and fined 100,000 pounds for violating social media posting rules.

Cavani used the word “black” in a comment on Instagram after the 3-2 win over Southampton on November 29, before apologizing for the incident.

Cavani will miss Manchester United’s league match against Aston Villa, as well as the League Cup semi-final match against Manchester City and the FA Cup match against Watford, due to the suspension penalty.

“The comment that appeared on the Manchester United forward’s account was insulting, offensive, indecent, damaged the reputation of the game and violated FA regulations,” the Football Association said in a statement.

The federation added that Cavani would also have to undergo an educational program as part of the penalty.

United said Cavani had decided not to appeal the charge out of respect for the FA’s “campaign against racism in football.”

“Despite his sincere belief that he was responding kindly to a congratulatory message from a close friend, Kavani decided not to appeal this accusation,” the club said in a statement.

And the team added: “The club is confident that the independent disciplinary committee will clarify on the merits of the decision that Cavani is not racist and that there was no racist intent behind the comment on Instagram.”