Edinson Cavani is facing a social media backlash, after the Manchester United striker used a term with racial connotations on his personal account.
The Uruguayan has taken to Instagram following his brace in United’s 3-2 Premier League win against Southampton.
Whilst responding to fans, Cavani used a Spanish slang term which makes reference to race.
And users have quickly condemned the striker’s use of language, with many suggesting it is racist in nature.
One said: “That Cavani instagram post is going to cause all sorts”, while another replied, “I wonder if Cavani is going to receive a ban for that,”.
“Wow Cavani is a racist,” one concluded.
Many users drew comparisons with former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez who was handed an eight-match ban by the FA for saying the same word to former United player Patrice Evra.
Suarez subsequently admitted that he had used the word, but suggested that it’s meaning in Spanish was very different.
In his 2014 autobiography, he recalled the incident with Evra: “He initiated the argument and he chose to do so in Spanish. In the following exchanges between me and him I used the Spanish word “negro” once.
“What some people will never want to accept is that the argument took place in Spanish. I did not use the word “negro” the way it can be used in English.”
That has led to a number of social media users to demand a similar punishment for the new Man United signing.
“I am guessing Cavani is getting the same treatment as Suarez then,” a fan replied.
Another posted: “Hope united fans gonna have the same energy for Cavani as they did suarez. Both wrong. Both said the same thing. No excuses from either”.
Mirror Sport have approached Manchester United for comment.
