URUGUAY players have joined forces to slam Edinson Cavani’s three-game ban as ‘discriminatory’.
And the South American stars have demanded that Cavani’s suspension is overturned.
Edinson Cavani was given a three-game ban for a racist remark Credit: PA
Uruguayan players released this statement backing Edinson Cavani
Cavani, 33, was banned for using the word ‘negrito’ in an Instagram post last year.
The Man Utd forward was also slapped with a £100k fine and ordered to complete a face to face education.
Cavani apologised for his post and said he was showing affecting towards a friend according to his ‘cultural way of life’.
But the FA said the 33-year-old brought the game into disrepute before fining and banning the striker.
But a letter from Uruguay Football Players Association said: “We must condemn the arbitrary conduct of the English Football Association.
“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.
Edinson Cavani deleted the post and apologisedCredit: Instagram
“To sustain that the only way to obtain a valid interpretation in life is that which lies in the minds of the managers of the English Football Association is actually a true discriminatory act, which is completely reprehensible and against Uruguayan culture.
“We would therefore like to publicly defend Edinson Cavani’s impeccable character and of course our country’s culture.
“We are all against any kind of discrimination; however unfortunately, through its sanction, the English Football Association expresses absolute ignorance and disdain for a multicultural vision of the world, respectful of its plurality, by erroneously, unilaterally and rigidly imposing its anti-racist rules, the basis of which we support but are obviously not realistically applicable to the case in question here.
“It has not punished one person, but also our whole culture, our way of life, which is truly a discriminatory and racist act.”
Cavani missed the 2-1 win over Aston Villa and will also be out of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Man City and FA Cup tie with Watford.
He should be able to return for next Tuesday’s visit to Burnley before the blockbuster against Liverpool on January 17.
Man Utd star Edinson Cavani facing three-match BAN for ‘racist’ post as striker sparks Instagram race storm
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
