Ireland

Uruguay players union urges FA to overturn Cavani's ban

04-Jan-2021 17:07:42 | Yahoo Sports

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SHOTLIST AND SCRIPT VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE OF MANCHESTER UNITED STRIKER EDINSON CAVANI DURING TEAM TRAINING SESSIONS / SCREENSHOTS OF STATEMENT POSTED TO THE URUGUAYAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION'S (AUF) OFFICIAL WEBSITE CRITICISING THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION FOR BANNING EDINSON CAVANI / SCREENSHOTS FROM THE URUGUAYAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (AFU) TWITTER PAGE WITH STATEMENT SUPPORTING CAVANI SHOWS: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - DECEMBER 1, 2020) (UEFA - NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020". NO RESALES.) 1. MANCHESTER UNITED STRIKER, EDINSON CAVANI, DURING RONDO DRILL 2. MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER, OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER, WATCHING TRAINING 3. CAVANI AMONG TEAM MATES DURING TRAINING MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - OCTOBER 19, 2020) (MUTV - DO NOT OBSCURE LOGO. NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO RESALES) (MUTE) 4. MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS INCLUDING CAVANI JOGGING 5. SOLSKJAER AT TRAINING 6. CAVANI TRAINING 7. TRAINING SESSION MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - NOVEMBER 23, 2020) (UEFA - NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020) (MUTE) 8. CAVANI TRAINING 9. TRAINING SESSION 10. CAVANI TRAINING INTERNET (JANUARY 4, 2021) (AUF OFFICIAL WEBSITE - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 11. SCREENSHOT OF THE URUGUAYAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION'S (AUF) OFFICIAL WEBSITE SHOWING STATEMENT ON EDINSON CAVANI 12. SCREENSHOT OF AUF STATEMENT IN SPANISH 13. SCREENSHOT OF AUF STATEMENT IN ENGLISH INTERNET (JANUARY 4, 2021) (TWITTER / @AFUoficial - ACCESS ALL) 14. SCREENSHOT OF THE URUGUAYAN PLAYERS' UNION (AFU) TWITTER PAGE WITH IMAGE OF AFU STATEMENT IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH INTERNET (JANUARY 3, 2021) (TWITTER / @AFUoficial - ACCESS ALL) 15. SCREENSHOT AFU STATEMENT DATED JANUARY 3, 2021 IN SPANISH 16. SCREENSHOT AFU STATEMENT DATED JANUARY 3, 2021 IN ENGLISH STORY: The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) criticised their English counterparts for banning Edinson Cavani on Monday (January 4), calling his three-match sanction for alleged racism "a flagrant injustice that damages the morals of an unimpeachable man". The AUF "exhorts the FA to review its sanction," it said in a statement. "We are convinced, through our profound knowledge of the person and analysis of the incident, that he does not deserve (the ban) nor the consequential moral aggravation." The Manchester United striker was suspended last week by the FA and fined 100,000 pounds ($136,330 dollars) for a term he used in an Instagram post following his side's 3-2 win at Southampton on November 29, before taking it down and apologising. The FA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Uruguayan FA's request came shortly after a similar appeal by Cavani's national team mates. The Uruguayan players' union (AFU) said the English FA "committed a discriminatory act against the culture and way of life of the Uruguayan people". The statement was shared on Twitter by Uruguay captain Diego Godin and the AFU. "Edinson Cavani has never committed any conduct that could be interpreted as racist," the AFU said. "He merely used a common expression in Latin America to affectionately address a loved one or close friend. "The sanction shows the English Football Association's biased, dogmatic and ethnocentric vision that only allows a subjective interpretation to be made from its particular and excluding conclusion, however flawed it may be. "We request the FA to immediately overturn the sanction imposed on Edinson Cavani and reinstate his good name and honour in the world that has been so unfairly tarnished by this reprehensible decision." The Uruguayan Academy of Letters, which protects and promotes the Spanish language in Uruguay, also denounced the ban last week, calling the sanction an example of English football's lack of "cultural and linguistic knowledge." Cavani, who has scored four times for United this season, missed Friday's 2-1 win over Aston Villa due to the suspension. The 33-year-old will also miss their League Cup semi-final against rivals Manchester City on Wednesday as well as Saturday's FA Cup third-round match against Watford. As part of its punishment, the FA also said Cavani must complete "face-to-face education". (Production: Kurt Michael Hall)