'I know exactly what Garnacho meant' - Andre Onana leaps to the defence of Man Utd team-mate after winger deletes controversial social media post containing gorilla emojis
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has spoken out after team-mate Alejandro Garnacho posted a controversial message on social media
«People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power & strength,» he wrote on Instagram. «This matter should go no further.»
The United goalkeeper's comments come after Garnacho was forced to delete a post containing two gorilla emojis alongside a picture of Onana and his team-mates celebrating the Cameroonian's dramatic penalty save against Copenhagen's Jordan Larsson on Tuesday night.
After being alerted to the potential racial connotations of the X (formerly known as Twitter) post, Garnacho edited and then deleted his message. However, the United winger could still face a sanction from the FA who have contacted the youngster to ask for his «observations» on the issue.
The FA have a track record for cracking down on racially sensitive posts by footballers; previously, players such as Bernardo Silva and Edison Cavani have faced match bans for similar offences, and it's possible that Garnacho could be in for a similar punishment.
Onana's support and firm opinion that the matter «should go no further» may help Garnacho's cause, but it still remains to be seen what action, if any, the FA will decide to take on the matter.
