After Bernardo Silva found himself in deep trouble over a tweet he made about Man City team-mate Benjamin Mendy, everyone eagerly waited to hear the response from the club and manager Pep Guardiola. While the Citizens are yet to issue a statement, the manager has spoken on the issue but his choice of words did not go down well.
The Portuguese star took to Twitter to post a joke at the expense of the French defender. In his tweet, Silva compared a picture of the fullback when he was young to the mascot of Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos. Anger soon erupted as the mascot is a controversial one, slammed for being stereotypical and racist.
The midfielder would go on to delete his Tweet but the damage was done, with anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out getting involved, calling for the FA to punish the former Monaco ace over his "discriminatory" joke.
Guardiola spoke about the actions of Silva, who started Tuesday's Carabao Cup victory over Preston, defending his star player. The Spanish tactician echoed Bernardo's reasoning, insisting that they are close friends who joke with each other all the time.
"Honestly, I don't know what will happen," the tactician said.
"They should put their focus on another issue because they don't know which guy they are talking about.
"Bernardo is one of the most lovely people I ever met in my life.
"He speaks four or five languages and that is the best way to understand how open-minded he is.
"And one of his best friends is Mendy. He's like a brother for him."
Pep Guardiola has launched a staunch defence of Bernardo Silva over his alleged racist tweet last weekend, saying the player is highly culturally aware and that he and Benjamin Mendy are as close as brothers @PAdugout @ManCity #MCFC pic.twitter.com/KmoB4DkFI9
— Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) September 24, 2019
However, this statement from Guardiola did not sit well with many. Pep then went on to claim that the comparison was not about the color of Benjamin's skin but then made a mess by saying there are similarities between the picture of Mendy and the picture of the Conguitos mascot Bernardo used.
"The image is not about the color of the skin," he added.
"He took a picture of Benjamin when he was young and he related it to this cartoon, which was quite similar for the image.
"If they want to do that and ask for Bernardo, I think he will be open to talk. But first, you have to know exactly which person you are talking about.
"There are many situations with people, with white people and you look at a cartoon and the face is quite similar to your face and you put it in there, it is quite similar.
"I think the response from Mendy was clear after that. They are joking all the time.
"Maybe what I say as advice is to hide social media…but if something happened it would be a mistake."
This is shameful from Pep Guardiola on Bernardo Silva's tweet: "The image is not about the colour of the skin. He took a picture of Benjamin when he was young and he related it to this cartoon, which was quite similar for the image." #mcfc pic.twitter.com/CWDTph0jR5
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) September 25, 2019
I absolutely cannot get my head around Pep Guardiola's comments on the Bernardo Silva tweet last night.
— Andrew Cesare (@AndrewCesare) September 25, 2019
He's shown himself to be so ignorant on the subject. Not so much by defending the tweet but with the standard excuses for Silva being a great guy. So what?!
Guardiola's got it all wrong on Bernardo Silva. It's got nothing to do with whether or not he's a great bloke or whether he's best friends with Mendy or even whether or not he's racist. His tweet promoted a racial stereotype and that's wrong and deserves some form of punishment
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) September 25, 2019
If you're confused as to why bernado silva's tweet is #racist. Go look up the history of black face before commenting. Understand pep guardiola has to defend his player but his comments on the matter is disturbing.
— J$TAR (@Jnr_marsh) September 25, 2019
That people are questioning whether this is racist or not testifies to the problem. The original tweet & #Guardiola 's apparent defence of it are equally racist. Intent is neither here nor there, the promulgation of such racist tropes & images are indefensible. #racist #silva https://t.co/rtHPVGvGiP
— Rosa Dee (@dee_mobiloro) September 25, 2019
The FA have stepped in and are currently looking at Silva's tweet. Should he be found guilty of racism, the Portuguese ace could be facing a ban and a six-game ban.