Edinson Cavani faces a minimum of three games of suspension.
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ADAM DAVY / POOL / AFP
The English Football Association (FA) formally accused Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani on Thursday of using a racist term in a quickly erased social media post, which resulted in him facing a minimum three-game suspension.
The new Manchester United striker replied 'gracias negrito' ['thank you little black'] to a friend's comment under a photo he posted to his Instagram account, after a 3-2 win over Southampton, during which he had scored twice.
The message was quickly erased and the player, supported by his club, had assured that it was a affectionate term and that did not have a pejorative connotation in South America.
The player will be able to defend himself
“I am totally against racism and deleted the post as soon as it was explained to me that it could be interpreted differently.
I would like to sincerely apologize for this, ”Cavani said in a statement.
But the FA announced that he was still accused of having violated a regulation that prohibits all "inappropriate behavior" on social networks, with the aggravating circumstance that it made "reference to color and / or race. and / or another person's ethnicity ”.
The player has until January 4 to present his defense to the federation.
Last season, Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Dele Alli (Tottenham) were suspended for a match after having exceeded the instructions of the Federation.
But the penalties were tightened at the start of the season to provide for a minimum suspension of three games.
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Racism
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Edinson Cavani