Manchester City’s Silva charged over Benjamin Mendy tweet
LONDON: Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association over a controversial social media post comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy with a black cartoon character.
The Portuguese midfielder last month tweeted an image of a young Mendy alongside an image of the character representing the Spanish chocolate peanut brand Conguitos.
He deleted the post but has now been charged.
A statement from the football governing body on Wednesday said “Bernardo Silva has been charged with misconduct” in relation to a social media post on September 22.
The FA statement said it was alleged that the 25-year-old was responsible for an “aggravated breach” of FA rules because the tweet included a reference “whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin.”
Silva, who could face a ban, has until October 9 to respond.
On the same day as the tweet that has now resulted in an FA charge, Silva posted: “Can’t even joke with a friend these days... You guys...” Silva last week sent a letter to the Football Association to apologise for any offence caused by the tweet and Mendy has written in support of his friend, saying he had not taken offence at the tweet.
City manager Pep Guardiola has also defended Silva and another of his team-mates, England forward Raheem Sterling, also spoke out in his defence.
Mendy and Silva have been teammates since 2016, having spent a year together at Monaco before they both moved to City the following year.
An Instagram video posted by Silva in 2018 has also attracted criticism for alleged racist undertones. In the video, being studied by the FA, Silva asks Mendy, who is dressed in black, why he is not wearing any clothes. MANCHESTER: The Premier League has appointed David Pemsel as its new chief executive, announcing on Wednesday that he would take up the role “no later than April 2020”.
Last November, the league selected Susanna Dinnage for the post but, after accepting, she changed her mind and decided she no longer wanted the job.
The league said Pemsel’s appointment had been approved unanimously at a special league shareholders’ meeting.
Pemsel is chief executive of the Guardian Media Group.
Bruce Buck, the chairman of the Premier League nominations committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome David to the Premier League. His straightforward style and personal integrity make him an ideal person to lead the business.
“At the Guardian, he has shown strong leadership through a period of change and transformation.”
Buck praised Richard Masters for his performance in the role of interim chief executive.
“I am thrilled to have been offered this incredible opportunity,” Pemsel said. “The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world and I am very excited to be a key part of that.”
Dinnage withdrew late in 2018 to remain in her role with the Discovery group of TV channels. Her appointment had been hailed as a significant step forward for women in sports administration.
When Pemsel takes over he will become the permanent successor to Richard Scudamore, who first joined the Premier League as chief executive in 1999. He served as executive chairman from June 2014 until his retirement in November 2018.
Scudamore is credited with driving the huge commercial success of the Premier League, particularly in domestic and overseas television rights.
When Scudamore took over as chief executive in 1999, the Premier League’s domestic television rights deal was worth around £670 million ($824m).
Sky and BT Sports agreed to pay nearly £4.5 billion to show 160 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, while the overseas rights earned the league a further £4.2 billion.