Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has been condemned by Kick It Out for his since-deleted tweet comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy with the mascot of Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos.
Mendy appeared to respond in good humour, but many considered the post including a picture of the French full-back during his childhood to be racist and offensive with the Portuguese midfielder deleting the post.
The Portuguese added: “Can’t even joke with a friend these days... You guys...”
Kick It Out said in a statement: “We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva, which has since been deleted. Racist stereotypes are never acceptable as ‘banter’, and we’re shocked that someone who is a role model to millions has failed to understand the discriminatory nature of his post.
“The FA have been notified and we believe that retrospective action should be taken, including mandatory education – which is vital to challenge offensive behaviour such as this.”
It is understood that the FA are aware of the tweet and will decide whether to take any action against Bernardo on Monday.
The 25-year-old scored a hat-trick in City’s 8-0 win over Watford on Saturday but could face a ban or fine if punished by the governing body.
Bernardo and Mendy are close friends, having played together at Monaco before both joining City in the summer of 2016.
Mendy did not appear to be offended by Bernardo’s original tweet, replying with smiley emojis and the message: “1-0 for you will see”.
