Football Association in England says it will not charge Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho for using gorilla emojis in a social media post.
The 19-year-old used the emojis alongside a photo of him and team-mate Andre Onana following the side’s victory against Copenhagen in October.
The FA said it was “satisfied” with the Argentine’s explanation “and the context it provides”.
Onana previously called on the FA not to sanction the player
The FA said it had “reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular”.
“We sought the player’s observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his team-mates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire – following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen,” an FA statement read.
“We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho’s explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion.
Onana saved an injury-time penalty against Copenhagen to secured a vital 1-0 Champions League win in October.
The Cameroonian addressed Garnacho’s post on Instagram, writing: “People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Garnacho] meant: power and strength.
Alex Ogbonnaya
