Bernardo Silva charged by FA over tweet to Man City teammate

LONDON (AP) — Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has been charged with misconduct by the English Football Association for posting a tweet which compared teammate Benjamin Mendy to the character on a packet of Conguitos chocolates.

The FA said Silva’s tweet was an “aggravated breach” of rules because it included reference “to race and/or color and/or ethnic origin,” and brought the game into disrepute.

Silva, who is Portuguese, has until Oct. 9 to respond to the charge.

Both Mendy and the character on the packet of chocolates are black. Conguitos are chocolate-covered nuts made in Spain.

Silva has written a letter to the FA, expressing regret for any unintentional offense caused by a tweet. He has been strongly defended by City manager Pep Guardiola, who said Silva’s “intention was just a joke” and “probably the same happened a thousand million times with white people.”

Silva and Mendy are close friends, having also played together at French club Monaco.