Portugal coach Fernando Santos has offered his support to Bernardo Silva after the Manchester City midfielder was hit with a racism charge.
The Blues star is expected to attend an FA hearing in person after being charged with misconduct following a tweet he sent to teammate Benjamin Mendy last week.
The tweet compared his close friend Mendy to a cartoon character used to advertise a popular Spanish snack.
Bernardo is said to have committed 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".
He has until October 9 to respond, and has been given Mendy’s full support in the matter.
City boss Pep Guardiola has also provided a strong character reference for the player, who he described as an “exceptional human being”.
And now Santos, who named Bernardo in the Portugal squad for the upcoming international break, has joined in.
He dismissed the charge, saying: "I would have to do a thorough analysis and talk socially about what I think, and it would be a very long conversation.
"So just two words - complete nonsense. Out of the players I know, Bernardo is one with the most human and social character. He doesn't deserve this."
