Luis Suarez calls on FA to revoke Cavani's ban for social media post

Luis Suarez has added his name to a letter published on behalf of the Uruguayan Football Players' Association calling for Edinson Cavani's three-game ban to be overturned.

The English FA dished out a three-game ban to the Manchester United striker last week for a comment they said was 'improper and brought the game into disrepute.'

Cavani had said 'Gracias negrito' to a friend on social media who had congratulated him for his performance in United's win over Southampton.

The response in Uruguay as been one of bewilderment and the players have come together to condemn the FA's treatment of Suarez.

In a letter shared by former Barcelona striker Suarez, now at Atletico Madrid, on social media, they say "the managers of the English Football Association is actually a true discriminatory act, which is completely reprehensible and against Uruguayan culture."

Cavani has already served one-game of his ban. He has also been fined £100,000 and ordered to complete 'face-to-face education.'

FULL LETTER:

We must condemn the arbitrary conduct of the English Football Association. Far from condemning racism, the English Football Association has itself committed a discriminatory act against the culture and way of life of the Uruguayan people.

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.

Edinson Cavani has never committed any conduct that could be interpreted as racist. He merely used a common expression in Latin America to affectionately address a love one or close friend. To sustain that the only way to obtain a valid interpretation in life is that which lies in the minds of the managers of the English Football Association is actually a true discriminatory act, which is completely reprehensible and against Uruguayan culture.

We would therefore like to publicly defend Edinson Cavani's impeccable character and of course our country's culture. We are all against any kind of discrimination; however unfortunately, through its sanction, the English Football Association expresses absolute ignorance and disdain for a multicultural vision of the world, respectful of its plurality, by erroneously, unilaterally and rigidly imposing its anti-racist rules, the basis of which we support but are obviously not realistically applicable to the case in question here.  

It has not punished one person, but also our whole culture, our way of life, which is truly a discriminatory and racist act.

Lastly, we urged the English Football Association to review its decision-making processes related to these issues immediately so that it does not commit any similar injustice ever again. Its regulations should take into account the plurality of people's ways of life and cultures. The first rule to fight against racism is to respect such different ways of life and cultures.

By virtue of the foregoing, 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 son unfairly tarnished by this reprehensible decision.

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