FA disciplinary beaks announced he had been charged with bringing the game into disrepute for his Twitter message to team-mate Benjamin Mendy last month.

Silva sent a personal letter of apology to the FA after the incident
Silva sent an image of Mendy as a schoolboy alongside a cartoon-like character who is the symbol of Spanish chocolate brand Conguitos.

The midfielder received support from Mendy, Raheem Sterling and City boss Pep Guardiola, who all insisted it was no more than a joke but anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out demanded action.

And now the FA have charged Silva with an “aggravated breach” because the post “included reference, whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin”.

It is feasible that Silva – who has until next Wednesday to respond – could miss City’s vital clash with Liverpool on November 10 if the longest possible ban is handed down.

The lengthiest ban for this charge is six games but it is likely the Portuguese will only receive three due to the circumstances of this particular incident.

Silva sent the message to his team-mate on September 22 but took it down soon afterwards following a backlash.


Mendy appeared to find it amusing, replying with laughing emojis, clapping hands and “1-0” before vowing revenge while PSG ace Kylian Mbappe “liked” the original message.

After deleting his message, the Portuguese schemer sent out a second Tweet, stating: “Can’t even joke with a friend these days.” That was accompanied by the “face palm” emoji.

It then emerged that Silva had posted an Instagram message in the summer in which he suggested that Mendy was “naked” because he was wearing black training kit. That was also part of the FA investigation.

Guardiola defended Silva at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Silva apologised in a letter to the FA last week while Mendy sent his own supportive letter on behalf of his team-mate.

But the intervention of Kick It Out, who stated that “racist stereotypes are never acceptable as ‘banter’”, effectively forced the FA’s hand.

And it seems that Silva will now have to plead for leniency if he is to avoid being suspended after the international break.

The 25-year-old’s personal letter to the FA explained he meant no offence and expressed regret at any offence his tweet unintentionally caused.

It was just a joke. Benjamin is like a brother to Bernardo. It is the same the other way. It is what I see every day in training
Pep Guardiola


Ahead of his side’s victory at Everton on Saturday, Guardiola said it would be wrong to judge Bernardo for what he referred to as “a joke”.

Guardiola said: “It was just a joke. Benjamin is like a brother to Bernardo. It is the same the other way. It is what I see every day in training.

“People judging Bernardo don’t know him. He is an exceptional personal. Exceptional.

“Focus on other issues, not Bernardo. It was just a joke.

“The same happened a thousand times with white people. It was a cartoon.”

Pep added: “If someone is offended I can understand it. Bernardo is maybe going to take a lesson and it won’t happen again.”

Raheem Sterling also leapt to the defence of his midfield partner.

"If someone refers to our skin colour with an image, you can’t really be upset about that. We know what skin colour we are. He hasn’t referred to his colour and that’s the most important thing"
"Raheem Sterling"

The England international – who has been racially abused multiple times and spoken out bravely on the issue of racism – told Sky Sports: “It’s a situation that no one needs at this moment.

“It’s a situation between two friends, Bernardo and Mendy.

I can see exactly the point where some people can get touchy-feely on it but I feel that in this situation, Bernardo made a joke to his friend. He’s not referred to his skin colour or his lips.

“In both pictures, they have both got small heads and the most important thing, for me, is he didn’t refer to his colour.

“We all know Benjamin and everybody can see that he is a black lad. We have to be proud to be black as well.

“If someone refers to our skin colour with an image, you can’t really be upset about that. We know what skin colour we are.

“He hasn’t referred to his colour and that’s the most important thing.”

Sterling added that Silva had struggled since the incident because of the attention around him following the tweet.

And the former Liverpool man was confident his team-mate, was “not in the wrong” in the “sad situation”.

He continued: “It’s really sad to see someone like Bernardo, the whole week be kind of down about it because he’s not that way inclined.

“It’s really sad to see.

“They’re two really good friends and I can understand where the criticism has come but I don’t feel it was [in any way] intentional of trying to be racist and just because it’s my team-mates, it’s the way I view it.

“I don’t think there’s any racism but I see exactly where people are coming from. Bernardo is not in the wrong for me.

“We’ve just got to be smarter on social media because in this day and age anything you say or do can quickly be judged. It’s a really sad situation at this moment.

“The club, as I always believed, would handle the situation right. I feel the sooner the better the FA can understand this was no way intended to be discrimination.

“There is not one moment where he uses a negative term to speak about his skin colour. He tried to make a joke and it wasn’t the best but we have to move on and understand it was not intentional.”..

Hmm

Cc; lalasticalala

It's racism no matter how you see it, some things you don't joke about especially after doing it twice.
That's like calling him a negro while laughing and claiming it's a joke.
You can't make anti-semitic jokes no matter who you are, you're gone career wise.

NB: See some ignorant tools saying it's not racism because they are friends. Some of you need to educate yourselves, how can you be this ignorant in 2019?

Lol, He was just joking na

But this should serve as a warning to him.
Don't take such jokes to social media

Everything is now racism nawaoo

Hmmmm

erons22:
Lol, He was just joking na

But this should serve as a warning to him.
Don't take such jokes to social media

everything is now offensive on the media, everything

Its 2019 Jokes are dying.

83% and he is still charging his phone.

That is why one has to be cautious of what one posts on social media. It may come back to hunt you

If it was the other way round ( a black person doing this to a white person, u won't even hear about it, black people should move beyond this victim mentality

Nawao, 2 friends can't crack jokes in peace again? It's a paranoid world we live in these days.....

Person no fit joke again??

White now get angry more than blacks on race issues

just because he isn't British?

It's Racism.... EOD

For those who are saying it's a Joke, how will you react if your Friend did the same thing to you?!

Ordinary joke oo... Buhari sef

People are too sensitive these days..that was obviously a joke.

***

good thing about fa they dont tororate nonsens.PLEASE my name is celestine nwankwo 28YRS OLD from awgu L.G.A. enugu stat For almost 12yrs now i have been down with spinal cord injure.no source of income i hav been living on family support especially my ageing mother who has been nursing me at home for all this while. but right now things are very very difficut for me and my mother who is also diabetic expecially feeding and title medications.please i need your help in any way posible no matter how small it will make a diffrence and i am also looking for a goverment or N G O rehabilitation home for the disable. thank and GOD BLESS.see my signature

water don pass river toh ... let b going, cheseal let wait for lille to night

it's obvious the player was just joking

Xkalaban:
Nawao, 2 friends can't crack jokes in peace again? It's a paranoid world we live in these days.....

Lets not fool ourselves here.No white person can truly be a black persons "friend".Bernardo Silva tweet was a backhanded insult directed at Mendy which he is trying to pass off as a "joke".Sterling and mendy are supporting silva because their paymasters told them to

People that call themselves Igbo, coneheads,afonja and aboki everyday will now call this one racism.

The real issue is with the cartoon character. It was a mockery image of the appearance of the Congolaise.

how tha Bleep is this tweet racist??

Sha i want Liverpool to win the league

damn

those of you seeing nothing wrong in this is a clear sign you have never travelled out before in your life.

Oasis007:
It's Racism.... EOD

For those who are saying it's a Joke, how will you react if your Friend did the same thing to you?!

Did you see where the friend that this was done to sent a letter of support?

Calling every thing racism trivialises actual racism.