Portuguese footballer Bernardo Silva is facing a six-game ban for posting an alleged racist ‘tweet’ on his Twitter account.
The Manchester City star posted a photo of teammate Benjamin Mendy as a child with the caption “Guess who?” alongside the mascot for Spanish chocolate brand Conguitos.
Although Mendy replied to the tweet with laughing emojis and clapping hands, anti-discrimination charity Kick it Out is calling on the English Football Association (FA) to take action.
The tweet was deleted and followed by another in which the 25-year-old midfielder wrote: “Can’t even joke with a friend these days… You guys…”
In a statement, Kick It Out said: “We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva, which has since been deleted.
“Racist stereotypes are never acceptable as ‘banter’, and we’re shocked that someone who is a role model to millions has failed to understand the discriminatory nature of his post.
“The FA have been notified and we believe that retrospective action should be taken, including mandatory education – which is vital to challenge offensive behaviour such as this.”
Silva and Mendy are good friends and have played each other for years, first in Monaco and now in Manchester City. They often use social media to joke around with each other, although for some the jokes seem to have gone too far this time.
