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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists there was no ‘malicious intent’ from Edinson Cavani after he sparked the AM FA investigation by calling a friend ‘black’ on social media.
The Manchester United striker now faces a minimum three-game suspension if the FA decides to punish him, but Old Trafford manager Solskjaer was quick to back his man and insists he didn’t mean to do any harm.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of United’s game against Cavani’s former club PSG in the Champions League, Solskjaer said: “We have reached out to Edinson and he is very sorry for the mistakes he made.
‘No malicious intent at all, just a warm greeting to a friend.
The FA has asked you to explain yourself and we will support you. It is one of those unfortunate situations where you have just entered the country and in Uruguay it is used in another way.
We support him, but we also support the FA. We want to be in the fight against discrimination. I’m sure Edinson has learned the hard way.
Cavani was quick to issue a public apology and has since deleted the post, which unleashed a storm of racism in the hours after it was posted, and the Uruguayan now faces anxious wait to see if he will be in trouble with the FA.
In the post, he used the phrase ‘thank you black guy’ in response to a congratulatory message from a friend following his winning performance in Southampton.
Cavani said: ‘The message I posted after Sunday’s game was intended to be a warm greeting to a friend, thanking him for his congratulations after the game.
‘The last thing he wanted to do was offend anyone. I am completely opposed to racism and deleted the post as soon as it was explained that it can be interpreted differently. I would like to sincerely apologize for this. ‘
Cavani could receive a minimum three-game suspension if the FA decides his message violates its rules after updating its guidelines on penalties for discriminatory behavior before this season.
But the case will not be treated as an on-field incident that requires retrospective action that could cause charges to be expedited so that a hearing can be held before a potential offender plays.
Instead, the initial investigation will involve a longer process while the FA gathers evidence before deciding whether to charge Cavani.
It may not be until the middle of the week before the FA is in a position to determine whether Cavani may have a case to answer.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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