Pep Guardiola: Bernardo Silva Critics 'Are Completely Wrong' After Racist Tweet
Pep Guardiola has once again come to the defence of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva over his controversial tweet regarding team-mate Benjamin Mendy.
Per Tyrone Marshall and Daniel Murphy of the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola said in a press conference on Friday that Silva's critics accusing him of being racist are "completely wrong":
"We spoke many times about what happened in stadiums, regarding Bernardo I was incredibly clear. If the people believe Bernardo is this type of person they are completely wrong. They judge one joke, I judge three years with him.
"Bernardo, or anyone else in my squad, do this thing for a joke. Benjamin is like a brother to Bernardo, that is what I see every single day here.ย
"If someone feels bad for that tweet it can happen, but the people who judge Bernardo don't know him. He's an exceptional person. He likes to be involved in different situations.ย It looked the same, it happens a thousand, million times with white people."
Per theย Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, Silva tweeted and then deleted this image, comparing Mendy to a mascot for a Spanish chocolate brand:ย
Both Silva and Mendy have since written to the Football Association, per Marshall:
Perย David McDonnellย of theย Daily Mirror, Guardiola came to Silva's defence after the 3-0 win over Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, saying people shouldn't talk before they know the man.
Matt Law of theย Telegraphย had this to say after Guardiola's initial defence:ย
Sport Witness shared its thoughts following Guardiola's latest comments:
The Football Association is looking into the matter.
City will be in action on Saturday when they visit Everton in the Premier League. They will then host Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
