Published 15:49 IST, September 25th 2019
Guardiola defends Bernardo Silva over his Benjamin Mendy tweet
Pep Guardiola, has come to the midfielder Bernardo Silva's defence after he was slammed for being a racist in relation to a tweet involving Benjamin Mendy
Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola, has come to midfielder Bernardo Silva's defence after he was slammed for being a racist in relation to a tweet that he had posted to make fun of fellow team member Benjamin Mendy. The midfielder had posted a that apparently had Mendy's childhood picture, comparing it with the sign of Conguitos.
Kick It Out
Kick It Out, football's anti-racist organization berated Silva and asked the Football Association to take strict action. In addition to this, a notice has been issued to Manchester City to keep a tab in the midfielder's activity on social media platforms. Another statement by Kick it Out stated that they were completely against racial discrimination and were appalled that a popular football player couldn't understand the repercussions of such a move.
A playful banter
Pep state that people should think about other problems as they did not have an idea about the guy they were talking about. He further added that Silva is one of the most genuine people he as ever come across and Mendy is also one of his best friend and like a brother to him.
He further added that the picture was not about showcasing something of colour, it was all about taking Mendy's childhood picture and relating it to the cartoon image. Guardiola stated that if a probe is carried out in relation to this incident, Silva would be open to cooperate with the concerned authorities.
Pep also said that in a lot of instances, whites look at a cartoon and the face is similar and they post a picture about it on social media platforms and the same thing was done by Silva. Benjamin did not get offended by the tweet and with it, everything was clear that even the person involved did not take any offence to it. He also added that the two players are involved in playful banters all the time.
Meanwhile, Manchester City battered Watford 8-0 in a premier league meeting on September 21 that pushed them up to the second position in the league table.
Updated 18:14 IST, September 25th 2019