Pep’s backing for Silva over tweet storm
PEP Guardiola continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bernardo Silva over his tweet storm.
But he said that the City star has learned his lesson from the incident, and that he will not repeat his mistaken joke.
The Blues midfielder sent a message on Twitter to his close friend Benjamin Mendy which compared a picture of his friend as a child with a caricature used to promote a snack in Spain.
That brought a welter of criticism, accusations of racism and an invitation from the FA for the club to give its observations on the matter.
Guardiola defended Bernardo on Tuesday night, which led to criticism of the manager as well.
But Guardiola was unrepentant, insisting that Bernardo’s intention was not bad, and that factor was the most important when judging what he did.
And he compared it to the racist abuse suffered by Raheem Sterling and other black players in recent years. “We spoke many times about when Raheem made a statement, what happened sometimes unfortunately in the stadiums. Regarding Bernardo I was incredibly clear,” Guardiola said. “If the people believe Bernardo is this type of person they are completely wrong. They judge one joke – I judge three years with him.
“Bernardo, or anyone else in my squad, do these things for a joke. Benjamin is like a brother to Bernardo, that is what I see every single day here.”
When it was pointed out that Bernardo had subsequently deleted the tweet, which may be seen as a realisation that he had made a mistake, Guardiola said:
“We judge intentions and I know the intention of Bernardo. Maybe I don’t want to be involved in that and delete it. I know all of them.
“It was just a joke. Benjamin is like a brother to Bernardo. It is the same the other way. It is what I see every day in training.” Guardiola was also asked if he understood why some people might be upset by the tweet.
“If someone is affected or feels bad about that tweet or any comments, it can happen,” he said. “People judging Bernardo don’t know him. He is an exceptional person, exceptional. He likes to be involved in different situations. “Focus on other issues, not Bernardo. It was just a joke. The same happened a thousand times with white people. It was a cartoon. If people think it’s the opposite then Bernardo and City are open. “It happened many times and you have to condemn. Fight for it. What happened in the stadiums. Pep Guardiola “Skin colour, where you were born, you feel better than the other, is ridiculous.”