Uruguayan players step up to defend Edinson Cavani

The Uruguayan union of footballers has stepped up to defend Manchester United striker and compatriot Edinson Cavani after getting a three-match ban for the comment in his Instagram that was viewed as racism. Several known Uruguayan players have shared the statement that the union made through social media.

Edinson Cavani’s time at Manchester United has been positive for the most part, scoring important goals, linking-up quite well with his teammates and overall having a good influence on the Red Devils. But the issue with his “Gracias, negrito” comment on Instagram has become a big saga in English football.

The FA decided to give him a three-match ban and a 100.000 pounds fine for what they considered a racist comment, but that has resulted in tremendous backlash, especially from Uruguay. Many different football organizations from the South American nation have stepped in, deeming the sanction ignorant, immature and out of place. Some football clubs from that country, like Plaza Colonia, made a tweet defending Cavani and criticizing English culture. Even Cavani’s former teammate at PSG and former Manchester United man, Ander Herrera, condemned the sanction.

And now the Uruguayan union of footballers, led by Diego Godin, have released a statement condemning the FA’s sanction, prompting them to remove it and clean Edinson Cavani’s good name. It’s too early to tell if this is going to have any impact, but it’s worth pointing out that even non-football-based organizations are stepping in this discussion and to Cavani’s favor.

This situation is a prime example of what happens when you don’t understand someone else’s culture and try to play judge, jury and executioner without having a clear understanding of what is going on. Edinson Cavani didn’t do nothing wrong and the backing he has gotten is clear evidence of that. We don’t know if this is going to lift Cavani’s man, but it’s very clear that this situation has gone way out of hand and the FA is not looking very good right now.