Alejandro Garnacho escapes FA charge over social media post about Andre Onana
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho will not be charged by the FA for a controversial tweet celebrating goalkeeper Andre Onana’s penalty save against Copenhagen in the Champions League.
The Argentinian posted a picture of Onana and team-mates jubilating following the last gasp stop, to preserve a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. But it was accompanied by two gorilla emojis, which campaign groups have said was deeply offensive.
Onana said afterwards that "people cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Alejandro Garnacho] meant: power and strength. This matter should go no further." Garnacho deleted the post and the FA, who had asked the player for his observations, have now decided no further action will be taken.
An FA spokesperson said: "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 interpretated in different ways.
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"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."
There has been precedent for players being charged for social media posts that contained perceived discriminatory references even if the attention was not to offend. Former United forward Edinson Cavani was suspended for three matches and fined £100,000 in 2020 when he posted a comment on social media to thank a fan which included a racially offensive term. In 2019 Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was banned for one match, fined £50,000 and ordered to take an education course for an offensive tweet relating to then team-mate Benjamin Mendy.
Sporting Equals, which was established to promote ethnic diversity, said in a statement following the tweet that it was important for Garnacho to learn from his mistake around “cultural sensitivities”. And the group called on Premier League clubs to step up their education programmes.
“We understand that his intentions were not to offend, in fact the opposite, when reflecting on the performance of his team-mate Andre Onana. While the intent may have been to compliment, the tweet does not account for the lived experiences of many across the United Kingdom and beyond. Cultural sensitivities are an essential consideration.
Andre Onana said he was not offended by the post. (Ashley Western/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)"Premier League footballers are speaking to the entire nation and the wider world given the platform they hold. By virtue of the Premier League attracting the best talent from around the globe many players are unaware of cultural sensitivities.
"This is a learning opportunity for Garnacho and the broader game. The focus should be on Onana's performance now, not on insensitive comments - no matter the best intentions.
"In an effort to avoid this happening again we would urge all clubs and the Premier League to review training, to educate and to inform. Understanding lived experiences of team-mates will help reduce the risk of saying or writing something that could be perceived as insensitive. We would reiterate this is not a reason to focus on criticising Garnacho but instead a chance to be, and do, better in football."
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