October 26, (THEWILL) – Manchester United goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has come to the defence of teammate Alejandro Garnacho after the 19-year-old winger posted a photo of the squad celebrating Onana’s penalty save accompanied by two gorilla emojis.
The controversial social media post, which has since been removed, could land the Argentine youth international in hot water. However, Onana insisted he took no offence, writing online: “People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power and strength.”
Nonetheless, the England Football Association has previously punished players for racial slurs made on social networking sites. Former United striker, Edinson Cavani, received a three-game ban in 2020 for using a racially insensitive phrase in an Instagram post, while Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was suspended for one match in 2019 over a tweet he sent to teammate Benjamin Mendy.
Both Cavani and Silva deleted their messages but still faced sanctions from the governing body. It remains to be seen whether Garnacho will face similar censure over his post, which Onana seems keen to draw a line under.
The Cameroon keeper stressed: “This matter should go no further.” However, the ultimate decision rests with the FA, which has historically taken a firm stance on discrimination across social media.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
