CONMEBOL, against Cavani's sanction: "Uruguayan culture is ignored"

CONMEBOL expressed solidarity with Edinson Cavani on Tuesday and said that the sanctioning by the English Federation (FA) of the Uruguayan footballer "clearly does not consider the cultural characteristics and the use of certain terms in the daily speech of Uruguay".

The Manchester United striker was sanctioned on December 31 with 100,000 pounds (110,000 euros) and three matches for a comment on his Instagram account that was considered "insulting, abusive and improper" by the FA.

Cavani, who is due to attend "face-to-face education" sessions, wrote on 29 November, after a comeback against Southampton, "Gracias, negrito" in response to a congratulatory fan.

In this regard, CONMEBOL added in its statement that the "trial of such statements, in the context of a process that may result in penalties for the athlete and affect his reputation and good name, must always be made taking into account the context in which they were made".

The highest authority on South American football said that this judgement should be made first and foremost on the basis of "the cultural peculiarities of each player and each country".

"CONMEBOL condemns and will always condemn with the greatest energy any racist or discriminatory demonstration, but the specific case for which Cavani was sanctioned does not constitute one of them," the statement concluded.

The Uruguayan Footballers' Association on Monday described the English Federation's treatment of Cavani as "discriminatory and racist" and as an "act of discrimination against the culture and way of life of Uruguayans".

After the sanction was announced, Uruguay turned to defending one of their greatest idols, a three-time World Cup player and the team's second-highest scorer.

The Uruguayan National Academy of Letters also expressed its "most energetic rejection" of the sanction.