The three-person Independent Regulatory Commission accepted that Cavani had not intended to offend the use of the word « Negrito » in an Instagram post on November 29, and imposed the minimum possible sanction. The post was in response to a friend, Pablo Fernandez, who told the commission Negrito was his lifelong nickname.
The decision to sanction Cavani was criticized, among others, by the South American football association CONMEBOL, who indicated that they were on The Uruguayan immediately deleted the post and apologized for any violations, but there was a shock from the commission that United was not at the time given the size of Cavani’s Instagram followers for the media training the players had given.
The written reasons of the independent regulatory committee for the sanction of Edinson Cavani have now been published and can be found here: https://t.co/7GjXZKlOuw.
– FA Spokesperson (@ FA Spokesperson) January 7, 2021
The written reasons of the independent regulatory committee for the sanction of Edinson Cavani have now been published and can be found here: https://t.co/7GjXZKlOuw.
« Given the high level of awareness of the player in the game, his Inability to speak English and the fact that he was nearing eight million Instagram followers, the commission was surprised that no such « training » had been set up by him specifically for the club, « he explained in his written reasons for the issuance of the ban.
However, in its mitigating factors, Cavani and the club noted that they have « taken steps to ensure that the player better understands their social media responsibilities ».
It will assumed that the requirement that Cavani must be quarantined immediately disrupted normal orientation activities, which usually included media training, and pos t was broadcast before this was rescheduled.
However, club-affiliated sources have questioned how possible it would have been if the media training had covered such special circumstances as in this case.
The usual minimum penalty for an offense on the field is now six games. However, in the case of written infringements, a lower tariff may apply if the commission is satisfied that there was no serious intention to be discriminatory or offensive.
In imposing a three-game ban, the commission wrote: « The special circumstances and facts of this player’s case were of such importance that a departure from the standard minimum was warranted to avoid an unfair outcome. «
It was the case of the FA that a reasonable observer without understanding the South American cultural norms surrounding the word « Negrito » would inevitably see the words as racially offensive, but the commission was convinced that the mail had been sent in « loving appreciation » by a friend congratulating him.
Manchester United said on New Years Eve when the ban was issued: « As he said, Edinson Cavani was not aware that his words could be misunderstood, and e r sincerely apologized for the post and to anyone who was offended.
« Despite his honest belief that he only sent a heartfelt thank you in response to a congratulatory message from a close friend, he chose not to prosecute challenge out of respect and solidarity with the FA and the fight against racism in football.
“While it is clear that context and intent are key factors, we note that the independent regulatory commission was required to suspend at least three games « The club trusts that the Independent Regulatory Commission will make it clear in its written reasons that Edinson Cavani is neither a racist nor that there was any racist intent in relation to his post. »
Ref: https://www.sportsmole.co.uk
