Manchester City star winger Bernardo Silva has been suspended for one match as a penalty imposed on him by the English Football Association (FA) for a tweet in which the 25-year-old presumably compared teammate Benjamin Mendy. The penalty also includes a sum of £50,000.
Meanwhile, Silva admitted the misconduct charge, and acknowledged some people may be offended by the “historical connotations of the Conguitos character”. This implied that no hearing took place.
The FA has also instructed the Portuguese international to complete face-to-face education.
Notably, in September, Silva had posted a photo on Twitter which was believed to be of City teammate Benjamin Mendy as a child, with the caption: “Guess who?” and an image of the mascot for Spanish chocolate brand Conguitos, which is widely viewed as a controversial caricature.
The Football Association are looking into this tweet posted by Bernardo Silva earlier today…
[via @JacobSteinberg] pic.twitter.com/RxOxCQM6YK
— Man City | Superbia (@SuperbiaProeIia) September 22, 2019
Silva has been one of City’s key players this season as the defending champions have struggled to keep pace with leaders Liverpool, trailing them by nine points after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Anfield. Silva scored the lone goal for City and could not defy the loss.
The Portuguese will miss the next match where the Citizens host Chelsea on November 23.