Edinson Cavani: FA accepts Manchester United striker didn't 'intend to be racist' despite ban

ByEurosport

Updated 07/01/2021 at 16:12 GMT

The full report on Edinson Cavani's three-match ban has been published by the Football Association. The Manchester United striker was given the punishment for using the phrase "gracias negrito" on Instagram, but the FA have accepted, "it was not designed or intended to be racist or offensive". The South American Football Confederation and Uruguay Football Association have criticised the ban.

The Football Association have published their reasons for giving Edinson Cavani a three-match suspension, acknowledging the Manchester United striker did not "intend to be racist or offensive".

Uruguay striker Cavani was banned for three games and fined £100,000 after posting a message on Instagram saying "gracias negrito" following United's 3-2 win over Southampton on Novenmber 29.

The full findings of the FA regulatory commission were published on Thursday, with the FA saying "a follower of English Premier League football" would have deemed the word "negrito" as racially offensive.

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"The commission were satisfied that the player wrote his reply in affectionate appreciation of a message from his Uruguayan friend and that it was not designed or intended to be racist or offensive either to his friend or others reading the content of the Instagram post," the FA commission said.

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"Such a conclusion was supported by all the available evidence relevant to the circumstances in which the post was made and having regard to the character and response of the player... However, it is not sufficient that the player simply had no such intent."

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and Uruguay Football Association have criticised the FA for banning Cavani, who joined United in October.

Cavani's Uruguay team-mates Luis Suarez and Diego Godin have also both shared a statement by their national players' union calling the punishment a "discriminatory" act.

• CONMEBOL criticise FA for Cavani ban
• Cavani 'sincerely apologises' for social media post

The FA commission expressed surprise about a lack of media training offered by United upon Cavani's arrival so that he be "better placed to understand the cultural differences that might give rise to issues with a foreign player posting information on a social media platform".

Cavani missed Manchester United's Premier League win over Aston Villa and their Carabo Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City. He will also be suspended for their FA Cup game with Watford this weekend.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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