Benfica have released a statement defending former player Bernardo Silva after his tweet that led to a Football Association charge.
The Manchester City playmaker could be hit with a ban after the FA charged him with misconduct for likening teammate Benjamin Mendy to a cartoon used historically by Spanish confectionery company Conguitos.
Pep Guardiola has fiercely defended his player amid criticism from the media labelling Silva as "an exceptional person", whilst Raheem Sterling also refused to condemn Silva for the tweet following last week's 3-1 win over Everton.
Bernardo stands accused of committing an “aggravated breach” of FA rules by including a reference “expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin”.
Bernardo deleted the tweet after 45 minutes when it attracted a negative reaction on Twitter, but he later commented that it had been a "joke with a friend".
The 25-year-old has until October 9 to respond to the charge and it is understood Silva will request a personal hearing to explain his actions.
Former employers Benfica, who brought Silva through their youth system before selling him to AS Monaco in 2015, have released a statement defending the actions of their one-time midfielder.
In their statement, Benfica said: "Bernardo Silva is a young man who always been distinguished for his simplicity, his character and his good upbringing.
"Wherever he goes, he is always missed and always ensures that the managers and team-mates who deal with him are unanimous in complimenting his happy and spontaneous nature. In Benfica, we are enormously proud of you, Bernardo!
"Turning a simple joke between two team-mates and friends into a tweet with racist intent and opening a misconduct charge demonstrates and signals a disease of our times."
Silva could play his final game until November for City this weekend when they host Wolves at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
