Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho could face punishment from the FA for a social media post to teammate Andre Onana, with Mark Goldbridge left fuming at that possibility.
Alejandro Garnacho post on Andre Onana
The Red Devils were involved in a dramatic Champions League encounter against FC Copenhagen in the week. Erik ten Hag’s side were in a must-win group game and Harry Maguire’s goal would be the difference between the two teams, with goalkeeper Onana saving a stoppage-time penalty from Jordan Larsson to be the hero.
It was a brilliant moment for the summer signing and after the game, Garnacho took to social media to give his reaction. Garnacho's social media post was a picture of Onana celebrating with his teammates, however, after using two gorilla emojis above a picture, the winger was advised to delete the post after he was made aware of the racial connotations. Onana has since defended Garnacho online, though, saying:
“People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what @garnacho07 meant: power & strength. This matter should go no further.”
Possible Alejandro Garnacho ban
Recent reports have claimed that the FA could ban Garnacho as a result of the post, with similar previous instances resulting in Edinson Cavani receiving a three-match ban back in 2020 while at United following a response to a fan, whereas Man City’s Bernardo Silva received a one-match suspension in 2019 for an “aggravated breach” of the FA’s code of conduct.
Mark Goldbridge, of The United Stand, has recently hit out at the possibility of Garnacho being banned, saying it is “ridiculous” and that it would be a “disgrace” if the player is banned.
“This is the world we live in now – anyone can be offended by anything even when the intention was very, very clear. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.
“Why did he delete it? Because if he leaves it up, you get loads of people accusing him of being racist when that wasn’t the intention – you have to take it down. I think it’s ridiculous to say why did he delete it."
Goldbridge added: “Onana doesn’t perceive it to be racist. Anyone with a brain doesn’t perceive it to be racist, so why can’t the FA grow a pair and say clearly it’s not racist, it’s not meant to be racist, and therefore, we’re just going to move on.
“Now people would compare it to Bernardo Silva, but what he did was just massively naive and silly. This is not massively naive and silly, there’s just no awareness that it could cause a problem. I think it’s a disgrace, if he gets a ban for that it’s an absolute disgrace.”