CONMEBOL joined Uruguay’s players’ union in slamming the FA for banning Edinson Cavani.
The Manchester United striker was punished for his ‘negrito’ comment on social media following the win over Southampton.
The South American federation Conmebol have declared their solidarity with Edinson Cavani as he serves his banCredit: Rex Features
Cavani, 33, apologised for his post and said he was showing affection towards a friend according to his ‘cultural way of life’.
However, he accepted a charge leading to a three-match ban, £100,000 fine and educational course.
Cavani missed the Red Devils’ 2-1 win over Aston Villa and will also be out of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City and FA Cup tie with Watford.
On Monday, the Uruguayan Football Players Association hit out at the FA for their heavy handling of the situation and lack of cultural awareness and believe Cavani’s suspension is unfair.
National-team captain Diego Godin as well as stars Lucas Torreira and Luis Suarez took to Twitter to share the standpoint.
Now the South American federation – the equivalent of Uefa in Europe – has thrown its support behind the Uruguayans’ statement.
Conmebol said: “Conmebol expresses its solidarity with the player Edinson Cavani, sanctioned by the Football Federation of England.
“The disciplinary measure for the outstanding player of the Uruguayan team clearly does not consider the cultural characteristics and the use of certain terms in Uruguay’s everyday speech.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Cavani deleted the post and apologised for using the term
“The judgment of these types of statements, within the framework of a process that can lead to penalties for the athlete and that affect his reputation and good name, must always be carried out taking into account the context in which they were made and, above all, cultural peculiarities of each player and each country.
“Conmebol condemns and will always condemn with the greatest energy any racist or discriminatory manifestation, but the specific case for which Cavani was sanctioned does not constitute one of them.”
The Uruguayan Football Players Association earlier stated: “Far from condemning racism, the English Football Association has itself committed a discriminatory act against the culture and way of life of the Uruguayan people.
“The sanction shows the English Football Association’s biased, dogmatic and ethnocentric vision that only allows a subjective interpretation to be made from its particular and excluding conclusion, however flawed it may be.
“Edinson Cavani has never committed any conduct that could be interpreted as racist. He merely used a common expression in Latin America to affectionately address a love one or close friend.”
Uruguayan players released this statement backing their compatriot Cavani
Luis Suarez was among the Uruguayan players to publicly tweet their support for the strikerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Troy Deeney says Edinson Cavani needs ‘education’ from Manchester United over ‘racist’ social media post
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
