Man Utds Alejandro Garnacho faces no FA action over social media post; player reminded of resp
The Football Association (FA) will not take any action against Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho over a social media post that featured two gorilla emojis alongside a picture of goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Garnacho, 19, posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) following Manchester United’s 1-0 Champions League win over FC Copenhagen last month, in which Onana saved a late penalty to ensure victory.
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The post was quickly deleted following a backlash, but Onana later defended his team-mate.
“People cannot choose what I should be offended by,” Onana wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of him and Garnacho hugging. “I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power and strength. This matter should go no further.”
The FA asked for Garnacho’s observations on the post via his club and while it has concluded that the winger will face no sanctions, it said the player had been “reminded of his responsibilities around social media”.
“We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho’s social media,” an FA spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“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.”
(Photo: Getty Images)
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