Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has come to the defense of his teammate Alejandro Garnacho, emphasizing that the young forward shouldn’t face consequences for his use of gorilla emojis in a recent social media post. In the post, Garnacho had shared an image of two gorillas, celebrating alongside Onana after the Cameroonian goalkeeper made a spectacular save of an injury-time penalty against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday. The post was later deleted, but it caught the attention of the English media, leading to the Football Association (FA) getting involved.
Onana shared his perspective on the matter via Twitter, stating that he understood Garnacho’s intent, emphasizing that it was about power and strength, and there was no need to escalate the issue further. Garnacho has yet to comment on the removed post and the FA’s involvement.
During their recent Champions League Group A match against the Danish champions, Manchester United secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a header by Harry Maguire. Onana’s crucial penalty save from Jordan Larsson in stoppage time preserved the win.
The FA might potentially charge Garnacho with violating their regulations, which could lead to a suspension. In a similar case in 2019, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva faced a one-match ban and a £50,000 fine from the FA after comparing his teammate, Benjamin Mendy, to a black cartoon character, even though the commission acknowledged that he didn’t intend to be racist.
In 2021, Manchester United’s striker, Edinson Cavani, was suspended for three matches and fined £100,000 for a social media post containing a Spanish term that was open to interpretation as potentially racist within the UK. The handling of these cases by the FA indicates the seriousness with which they view such matters and their commitment to maintaining respect and inclusivity within the sport.
