The FA has confirmed that Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho will not face any charges for his recent controversial social media post directed at teammate André Onana.
Garnacho, 19, was accused of racism after sharing a since-deleted post about Onana following his crucial penalty save in the Champions League against FC Copenhagen.
Intending to celebrate the Man United goalkeeper, the young Argentine posted an image of the save along with two gorilla emojis, causing uproar online.
Despite the Cameroonian keeper coming out to defend him in a social media response of his own, stating on Instagram, “People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what [Garnacho] meant: power and strength. This matter should go no further.”
The FA will take no action of Alejandro Garnacho’s use of a gorilla emoji in reference to Manchester United team-mate Andre Onana. pic.twitter.com/tEdTcb8O4t
The FA confirm Garnacho will not face charges for the misconstrued post regarding Onana.
And, as it turns out, that is exactly the outcome that has arisen from the situation, as despite both the FA and Garnacho having acknowledged the racially insensitive connotations of the post, the governing body says they are happy with their findings and insist the player will not face any punishment or investigation.
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The FA said it had “reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular”.
A full statement read: “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 team-mates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire – following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen”.
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“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”
They also went on to add that they “intend to liaise with Kick It Out and the PFA to discuss other potential issues around the use of emojis and similar forms of messaging, and education that can be provided about them” in the future.
A similar investigation was carried out the previous year after Man City’s Bernardo Silva compared his then-teammate Benjamin Mendy to a character used on the branding of a chocolate bar sold in Spain and Portugal, ultimately being fined £50k and receiving a one-match ban.
The Red Devils face off against Copenhagen again in their next Champions League fixture and ideally need to win all three remaining matches to go through unless Bayern Munich also beat Galatasaray, in which case they’d only need six points to advance into the knockouts.
Featured Images — Alejandro Garnacho/André Onana (via Instagram
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Tommy Fury announces huge fight against former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall
Daisy Jackson
Tommy Fury has announced his next major boxing match – against a rather unlikely opponent.
The Manc boxer and former Love Island star will face Eddie Hall, who once reigned as the World’s Strongest Man and was the first person on the planet to deadlift 500kg.
The match, billed as Beauty vs The Beast (we’ll let you decide who’s who…), will take place at the AO Arena this summer.
Tommy Fury and Eddie Hall will be facing off in Manchester as part of the Misfits Boxing series, a sports promotion company founded by YouTube sensation KSI.
26-year-old Fury – younger brother of heavyweight legend Tyson Fury – remains unbeaten, seeing off all-comers in the crossover boxing world.
As for 38-year-old Eddie Hall (nicknamed The Beast), he retired as a strongman competitor, where he’s previously been crowned the World’s Strongest Man, and has now pivoted into combat sports.
The pair have collaborated recently on several videos online, taking on challenges like a One Punch Knockout and a breakfast eating competition.
But this will be the first time they’ve publicly faced off in the ring.
Misfirst Boxing has once more delivered the biggest match-ups possible in the crossover boxing space, with Fury vs. Hall promising to be a titanic tussle that will captivate fans around the world.
Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall, Beauty vs The Beast, will take place on Saturday 13 June at the AO Arena in Manchester – you can get tickets HERE.
Corey Blackett-Taylor ruled out injured for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers winger Corey Blackett-Taylor has been ruled out for the rest of the season following injury.
With not that long left in this year’s campaign and the playoff scrap set to ramp up even further in the coming weeks, it’s an unfortunate twist of fate for the Trotters.
Despite still being only a relatively recent signing, having just joined Bolton in the most recent January transfer window, it didn’t take long for him to make a good impression.
Scoring on debut in a 1-0 away win against AFC Wimbledon, the 28-year-old is now set to miss the remainder of the 2025/26 term, letting supporters know the news on Friday, 27 March.
Blackett-Taylor was forced off in the game against Rotherham United after pulling up in the wake of taking a shot, ultimately being subbed in the first half.
It was quickly confirmed to be a thigh injury, and while the specific nature and severity of the damage haven’t been fully detailed, he has now informed fans that his season is over.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “Instantly from arriving at the club, I felt the passion and support from the fans, club, staff and players.
“I have no doubts [about] the club achieving their targets of promotion – I want to say a huge thank you for making me feel so welcomed and comfortable. Unfortunately, my season is concluded due to my injury, but I’ll be here supporting the team to the very end.”
He isn’t the only impactful League One player at a side eyeing up the Championship to have been hampered by setbacks on the physio bench, with rivals Stockport County also confirming an absence at this crucial point in the campaign.
Not ideal for either of the Greater Manchester hopefuls.
Once again, while the recovery period for both of these players has already begun, the exact timelines for their return remain to be seen.
That being said, chances are we’ll see the Derby County loanee back in action before Hills, though we’ll have to wait to find out whether it will be at the Toughsheet Stadium or back with his parent club.
Who do you think is going to clinch that third promotion place at Wembley come this May?
Danny Jones -
8th November 2023 
