Bernardo Silva Banned by FA for Benjamin Mendy Tweet

Bernardo Silva has been given a one-game ban as well as a £50,000 ($64,160) fine by the English FA for a tweet. The City midfielder cum winger has been under investigation for a tweet targeted at Benjamin Mendy. The FA charged Silva for misconduct and a breach of one of its rules as his tweet made in September was considered to have racist undertones.

Silva had tweeted a photo of Mendy as a child alongside an old image from Spanish company ‘Conguitos’ with the caption: “Guess who?” But that has received condemnation from several quarters for having racist undertones.

After immediately deleting the tweet, the player stated back then that he had no such intention and was just sharing a joke with his friend Mendy. Both have been teammates from their days at Monaco.

Manager Pep Guardiola and the club supported the player’s position based on the his good behaviour and friendly attitude. But the authorities were not satisfied.

That, despite the fact that Mendy did not take offence at the tweet. The Frenchman replied to the tweet with laughing emojis. However, other people quickly pointed out the racial aspect of Silva’s remarks. The FA took up the issue soon after and launched an investigation into the matter. The player has now been punished for the action.

A statement from the FA revealing the punishment read:

”Bernardo Silva has been suspended for one first team competitive fixture, fined £50,000 and must complete face-to-face education after admitting a breach of FA Rule E3.”

”The Manchester City midfielder’s social media activity on 22 September 2019 breached FA Rule E3(1), as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, and constituted an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included reference, whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin.”

The ban implies that the Portuguese will miss City’s next game at home after the international break. That will be against Chelsea. Frank Lampard’s resurgent side come to the Etihad Stadium on the back of a good run having not lost a game since suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool back in September. The London side has won six consecutive league games since and aims to continue the run against City.

After losing at Anfield, the Sky Blues on their part will be looking to bounce back with a win. Guardiola will need his best players available for the match with several missing out due to injuries. Therefore, Silva will be sorely missed.