Alejandro Garnacho: FA will not charge Manchester United forward over social media post involving Andre Onana
An FA spokesperson said: "We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho's explanation and the context it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion. We have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis."
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:26, UK
The FA will take no action over a controversial social media post made by Alejandro Garnacho in reference to his Manchester United team-mate Andre Onana.
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 last month.
The post, which has been deleted, included emojis that could be deemed offensive.
The FA concluded their investigation into the social media post after Garnacho explained his use of two emojis "was intended to highlight the strength and power of his team-mates".
An FA spokesperson said: "We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho's explanation and the context 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."
Onana defended Garnarcho's post, writing on Instagram: "People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Garnacho] meant: Power and strength.
"This matter should go no further."
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 that 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.
'Education should be compulsory'
In response to the news, Sporting Equals wants education to be compulsory for professional footballers to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.
"We understand the decision by the FA not to charge Alejandro Garnacho regarding the tweet he published about his team-mate Andre Onana," a statement read.
"While Garnacho has stated no offence was intended, the insensitivity of the tweet is clear. The emojis used reinforced racist stereotypes. Garnacho has indicated he was not aware of this and Onana has confirmed he has taken no offence. However, the use of these emojis will normalise their use and athletes in the Premier League have a responsibility to speak with care.
"In cases such as this we would encourage clubs and governing bodies to require training is completed. We know that some clubs deliver this training, however, it is an option rather than an obligation.
"Whether the training is effective is another matter we need to understand better. Only through systemic changes in behaviour will we see these instances become rarer and rarer.
"Again, we stress this is not an opportunity to criticise and attack Garnacho, but one where reviewing what does or does not work should occur."
