Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani has been charged by the English FA after posting a racially abusive word on social media.
Cavani responded to a friend on Instagram using the word ‘negrito’ after being hailed for his impressive performance against Southampton which saw united edge them out by 3 goals to 2.
The Uruguay striker later deleted the post and claimed that he never knew the word was offensive in England.
The FA looking into the incident has charged Cavani and he has been given till January 4 to defend himself or go on a three-match ban, if later found guilty of the charge.
Manchester United issued a statement as regards the incident saying: ‘Manchester United and all of our players are fully committed to the fight against racism and we will continue to work with the FA – along with other governing bodies and organizations, and through our own campaigns – in that regard.
‘We note the FA decision today to charge Edinson Cavani for his social media reply to a friend’s message of congratulations following the Southampton game.
‘Edinson and the club were clear that there was absolutely no malicious intent behind the message, which he deleted and apologized for as soon as he was informed that it could have been misconstrued. The player and the club will now consider the charge and respond to the FA accordingly.’
