Manchester City forward Bernardo Silva should face action over a tweet directed at team-mate Benjamin Mendy, anti-discrimination group Kick It Out has said.
The Portugal international posted a message on the social media platform with a picture of a young Mendy alongside a separate image of the mascot of a Spanish confectionery brand.
Silva received immediate criticism for the post and later deleted it, with a follow-up message reading: "Can't even joke with a friend these days... You guys..."
Can't even joke with a friend these days... You guys... 🤦🏻♂️ — Bernardo Silva (@BernardoCSilva) September 22, 2019
Kick It Out issued a statement on the subject on Monday morning which read: "We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva, which has since been deleted.
"Racist stereotypes are never acceptable as 'banter', and we're shocked that someone who is a role model to millions has failed to understand the discriminatory nature of his post.
"The FA have been notified and we believe that retrospective action should be taken, including mandatory education – which is vital to challenge offensive behaviour such as this."
The Silva post comes after initial meetings were held between the Football Association, Premier League, the EFL and Twitter following a series of online abuse aimed at black players since the start of the season.
Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford are among the players who have been targeted, along with Chelsea's Tammy Abraham and Kurt Zouma.
The FA described the meeting as "productive and positive".
Manchester City have been contacted for a response.
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