Raheem Sterling Defends Bernardo Silva over Benjamin Mendy Tweet

Raheem Sterling has defended Manchester City team-mate Bernardo Silva over his tweet regarding Benjamin Mendy.

Silva has faced accusations of racism after tweeting an image comparing Mendy to a character on a packet of Conguitos, a brand of Spanish confectionary. The midfielder deleted the message and posted a subsequent tweet saying "Can't even joke with a friend these days."

Sterling offered his thoughts on the matter after Manchester City's 3-1 win over Everton on Saturday and said the tweet was not racist but a joke between two friends, according to BBC Sport:

"I don't feel there's any racism in it. It's a situation between two friends, Bernardo and Mendy, as everyone knows. I can see exactly the point where some people can get touchy-feely on it but I feel in that situation Bernardo made a joke to his friend.

"He's not referred to his skin colour, he's not referred to his lips. In both the pictures they've both got small heads, you know. The most important thing for me is he didn't refer to a colour."

Silva's tweet was condemned by anti-discriminatory organisation Kick It Out, who called on the Football Association to take action against the Manchester City star:

The Portugal international has written to the FA "expressing regret for any offence" his tweet caused, and Mendy has also submitted support for his team-mate, per the Mirror's David McDonnell.

Manager Pep Guardiola has repeatedly defended Silva over his tweet and said the midfielder's critics are "completely wrong" during a press conference.

Guardiola has been widely criticised for his stance on the issue:

Sterling has emerged as a leading figure in football's battle against racism. The 24-year-old spoke out after suffering racist abuse against Chelsea in an Instagram post in December. He also used the message to criticise the coverage of black players in the media.

The England international has also called on governing bodies to "solve the problem" after England players were racially abused in a 5-1 win in Montenegro in March and Moise Kean was targeted while playing for Juventus at Cagliari.