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Edinson Cavani, the Manchester United forward, could face a three-game suspension if the Football Association finds that he used discriminatory or racist language in an Instagram story shared from his account Sunday night.
The FA has confirmed that it is investigating the post, which was published shortly after United’s 3-2 win over Southampton, in which Cavani scored two goals after coming in as a substitute at half-time.
In the post, which was later removed, the words “thank you black!” used to thank a supporter by congratulating Cavani on her performance in the match at St. Mary’s.
Social media posts are covered by FA Rule E3, and if a comment is deemed to include a reference to a person’s ethnicity, color, race or national origin, it will be considered as a potential aggravating factor in any punishment. The rules also make it clear that the owners of social media accounts are responsible for any content posted from their account, whether by themselves or by a third party.
Also, deleting an inappropriate post does not necessarily prevent a penalty from being imposed. Last year, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was suspended from a match after posting and then deleting a tweet comparing his teammate Benjamin Mendy to the cartoon figure of a Spanish chocolate brand. If the FA decides to pursue the case, it will write to Cavani in the next few days requesting his comments in writing. Any charges must be issued next Monday.
The word in question – “negrito” – was the same that Cavani’s friend and Uruguay teammate Luis Suárez used for Patrice Evra during a match between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2011. At the time, Suárez argued that the word was a term. affectionate. and it is not intended to be a form of racial abuse. However, the FA disciplinary panel rejected this explanation and Suárez was sanctioned for eight games.
At the beginning of this season, the FA issued new guidelines on racist language and behavior on social media, with violations carrying a minimum three-game ban. Manchester United were unavailable for comment on Sunday night.
