The Football Association (FA) has announced that there will be no action taken against Alejandro Garnacho for his use of gorilla emojis in a social media post related to Manchester United teammate Andre Onana.
The FA's decision was revealed on Tuesday. The controversy arose when Onana made a crucial stoppage-time penalty save in a Champions League group stage match against Copenhagen at Old Trafford, securing a 1-0 victory. In celebration, Garnacho posted a photo on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that featured United players celebrating with Onana. The caption included two gorilla emojis.
Although Garnacho quickly deleted the post, Onana came to his defence, explaining that the emojis were meant to convey "power and strength." Onana urged that the matter not be escalated.
In the past, the FA has taken disciplinary action against players for making racially insensitive remarks on social media. However, in this case, the FA has decided not to pursue any action against the Argentine international.
An FA spokesperson clarified the decision, stating, "We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho's social media. We sought the player's observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his teammates—specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire—following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United's win over FC Copenhagen."
The spokesperson continued, "We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho's explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion. However, we have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular, which can be interpreted in different ways."
Garnacho, aged 19, has been included in the 23-man squad for Manchester United's upcoming clash with Copenhagen in Denmark on Wednesday.
