A spokesperson from the Football Association has released a statement in regards to Alejandro Garnacho’s deleted social media post.
On October 25, the Manchester United forward shared a picture of himself, Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay celebrating with Andre Onana after the goalkeeper’s last-gasp heroics that saw him perform a crucial penalty save against Copenhagen.
Garnacho’s post was originally captioned with two gorilla emojis, though he quickly edited it after being informed of the potential racist connotations, before deleting it entirely. The FA then contacted United and the player in order to gauge what was meant by the caption.
Meanwhile, Onana addressed the matter himself with a response on his public profiles, saying: “People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what @garnacho7 meant: power & strength. This matter should go no further.”
FA confirm Garnacho investigation outcome
After an investigation into the incident, the FA have today outlined their stance amid rumours of a potential ban and/or fine for Garnacho – though this won’t be the case. They are satisfied with the youngster’s reasoning but have informed him of his responsibilities on social media and how certain posts may be perceived.
Their statement reads (via @hirstclass): “We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho’s social media. We sought the player’s observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his teammates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen.
“We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho’s explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion. However, we have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular which can be interpreted in different ways.
“We also intend to liaise with Kick It Out and the PFA to discuss other potential issues around the use of emojis and similar forms of messaging, and education that can be provided about them.”
What an absolute bloody disgrace, I’m fed up wi——-oh, *no* disciplinary action. Well, stap me vitals; there’s hope yet.