Andre Onana: "People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Alejandro Garnacho] meant: Power and strength." Sporting Equals - an independent body established to promote ethnic diversity in the area of sport and physical activity - have responded to the incident
Friday 27 October 2023 13:58, UK
Andre Onana has defended Manchester United team-mate Alejandro Garnacho over a controversial social media post.
Garnacho posted a celebratory picture including Onana and other team-mates following the goalkeeper's late penalty save in their 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday night.
The post, which has been deleted, included emojis which could be deemed offensive.
The FA is aware of the social media post and has sought Garnacho's observations on it through Manchester United.
Taking to Instagram to defend the midfielder on Thursday, Onana wrote: "People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Garnacho] meant: Power and strength.
"This matter should go no further."
Manchester United referred Sky Sports News to Onana's post when asked for comment.
In 2020, former Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani was banned for three matches and fined £100,000 when he posted a comment to thank a fan which included a racially offensive term.
A year earlier, Manchester City's Bernardo Silva was fined £50,000 and received a one-match ban after a tweet compared the facial features of a mascot for a Spanish confectionery firm to that of Benjamin Mendy. Silva had received support from Mendy during the FA's process.
Sporting Equals - an independent body established to promote ethnic diversity in the area of sport and physical activity - have responded to the incident.
"We are disappointed to see Alejandro Garnacho's recent tweet," the statement began. "We understand that his intentions were not to offend, in fact the opposite, when reflecting on the performance of his team-mate Andre Onana.
"While the intent may have been to compliment, the tweet does not account for the lived experiences of many across the United Kingdom and beyond. Cultural sensitivities are an essential consideration.
"Premier League footballers are speaking to the entire nation and the wider world given the platform they hold. By virtue of the Premier League attracting the best talent from around the globe many players are unaware of cultural sensitivities.
"This is a learning opportunity for Garnacho and the broader game. The focus should be on Onana's performance now, not on insensitive comments - no matter the best intentions.
"In an effort to avoid this happening again we would urge all clubs and the Premier League to review training, to educate and to inform. Understanding lived experiences of team-mates will help reduce the risk of saying or writing something that could be perceived as insensitive.
"We would reiterate this is not a reason to focus on criticising Garnacho but instead a chance to be, and do, better in football."
