Well, that’s one way taking note of a suggestion literally and backwards at the same time.
Fernandinho's Munich air disaster twitter post?
- Thread starter arnie_ni
- Start date
I think a lot of people are having some difficulty with the unbelievable coincidence of an explosion, plane and laughter emoji being in a tweet from a City player on the anniversary of Munich. I’d agree with you that I think he’s unlikely to have himself posted it but it does seem plausible one of his PR team might have thought it was “funny”. I’m personally just about prepared to swallow it being an astounding coincidence but I can fully see why others might think it’s stretching plausibility.
As for Cavani, on the face of it this is similar. He has posted something (seemingly) with one meaning which can quite easily be construed, without explanation, to have another, deeply offensive, meaning. Following the FA’s approach to Cavani’s case, Fernandinho is guilty regardless of his intention as people will have found it offensive and should, at the very least, be investigated. Obviously that approach is utterly wrong but it’s not unreasonable to expect similar standards to be applied to a post that may be laughing at the horrible deaths of former players to one that might be racist.
But how do you go about doing that?
Cavani used a specific term which could be interpreted as racist. According to the FA. They have now set a precedent: If a player uses that term in reference to someone in the future, that player will receive a ban (like Cavani did). And the intention behind it...is irrelevant (as established by the Cavani case).
Now - all of the above is absolutely idiotic. But that's not the point here.
The point, rather, is this: If the FA were to find Fernandinho's post potentially offensive - regardless of the intention behind it - what precedent would that set?
Precisely what would it be that nobody else could tweet without risking a ban?
Well like I said just ask him nothing wrong in asking him. If he comes out with a explanation all well and done. But he hasn't neither has anyone so we have to just except that this was a very very close coincidence. But behind closed doors he needs to be told how it looks. Never mind hes Brazillian so we give him the benefit of the doubt. Nothing was or will be done about it.
They’ll probably get him on the old get out clause of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’. That’s usually what they accuse people of when it’s hard to nail them to a specific charge.
Not sure how I feel about a lot of posts in this thread. It’s feels a bit like redandwhitekop levels of victimhood. I hope our fanbase isn’t becoming like theirs...
He clearly didn’t mean it to have any reference to Munich, stop being bloody daft.
He clearly didn’t mean it to have any reference to Munich, stop being bloody daft.
Lads, what more likely?
He scored a bullet header in training and did a celebration, got a picture taken and someone uploaded it without realizing how some loons would interpret it online.
OR
he and his social media team, FOR A LAUGH, decided, ha! Let’s mock the Munich air disaster of 1958 and really stick to United fans!!! That would be great!
Please, get a grip. This is embarrassing.
He scored a bullet header in training and did a celebration, got a picture taken and someone uploaded it without realizing how some loons would interpret it online.
OR
he and his social media team, FOR A LAUGH, decided, ha! Let’s mock the Munich air disaster of 1958 and really stick to United fans!!! That would be great!
Please, get a grip. This is embarrassing.
Agreed...
Exactly. It’s fecking baffling to see people making excuses for what is absolutely cnutish behaviour.
I think Jesus returning to Earth is more likely than Fernandinho scoring a bullet header to be fair.
If he meant it, then hes a fecking cnut. Never liked the prick anyway. This has pissed me off. FA need to sort it out!
A very good point, and all too relevant in matters beyond football in today's world.
Here's the thing, you're absolutely right, but I suspect most of the people this is aimed at know that deep down inside, but just want to be upset about something new because that's just the social media thing to do.
Yep, youre right there. I suppose this is the modern way of following football? It’s not a great look though.
He’s been in England a long time now.
You’d like to think it’s a very horrible coincidence, maybe he celebrates with the aeroplane all the time - but even if he didn’t post it himself the media team surely need to be a bit more clued on. That’s their job after all!
Unfortunately for Fernandinho precedent has been set with Cavani, doesn’t matter if it was accidental if it’s offensive.
So what? Do young people in England - not United fans - really remember by heart that the Munich disaster happened on February 6?
Fortuantely for him nothing is going to come out of it because there's a limit to stupidity.
What do young people have to do with it? He’s the captain of city and their most experienced player, he would definitely be aware of Munich.
You’d think city’s PR team would make sure that under no circumstances would they post pictures of him doing the fecking aeroplane with explosions in the caption?! It seems absolutely brain dead.
Obviously it’s pretty impossible to prove his motive, but it’s a massive coincidence if not intentional.
Whether he’ll get banned depends on how much of a stink is kicked up.
Something to
It might be obvious to you, but this thread clearly shows that there are a variety of viewpoints, and to others it’s ‘obviously’ an accident. So use of the word obvious is fairly meaningless here. What you mean is that you can’t/won’t see that there is another possibility. Doesn’t make you right.
Not much of a stink is being kicked up though, for good reason. It’s probably a sensible test to apply to ask yourself what people without an obvious bias (City fans, Utd fans) think.
I'm sure many footballers outside of Manchester will be aware as well. I doubt many would walk around on February 6 2021 remembering that this is the 63rd anniversary and acting upon it. It just wouldn't be on their minds as it has little to do with their lives.
Agreed, this is one of the main issues. City, the club, and its players can do what they like, nobody cares, or gives a 'sh**, its not newsworthy for most of the media; whereas with United, the club and its players can't, because the world and his wife will get upset and its sell copy all over the world!
Yeah you're right. The media is against us and no one else. The same way that Liverpool, City, Arsenal & Chelsea fans think the exact same.
Or maybe this has not been picked up because it's such a non-issue, and only bias United fans determined to find an agena are seeing it any other way?
close thread/ it's beginning to smell like RAWK
Also promote this man
Has Cavani been banned for this yet?
I can see that there is another possibility - a representative of a football club posted pictures on social media of aeroplanes exploding and laughing faces at the same time as his arch rivals were publicly commiserating the anniversary of a famous air disaster that claimed the lives of their players and staff - and this was purely coincidental.
That explanation stretches credulity.
To be fair If you don't think that the media are more interested in Utd than any other club in the world you frankly live under a rock. That doesn't mean that its always overwhelmingly negative, but it does mean that a story (either negative or positive) about Utd will generate more views/clicks/subscriptions, that's factual. Add in the fact that people generally in society have more prosperity towards negative articles and stories and its pretty easy to put 2+2 together to realise that Utd do receive a greater level of scrutiny compared to other clubs. Just because some rival fans think the world revolves around them, doesn't change the fact that factually Utd are a much larger club, with a far more significant fanbase (and therefore media audience). Honestly, I'm amazed this point is even argued these days.
Obviously United get more press due to the size of the club. The point I was replying to suggested that City players can do anything and nobody gives a shit. It's just not true is it. If Sergio Aguero or De Bruyne posted the same comment that Cavani made then it would cause the same uproar. Look at what happened when Bernando Silva sent that pic to Mendy. But apparently City players can do what they like and 'nobody gives a shit'. It's a victim mentality that certain fans are adamant to believe.
Certain factions of fans seem to relish in the idea that their club is being scrutinised & targeted by the media as if it's part of some wider conspiracy that everyone is against us.
The exact same thing happened to Cavani and he got a ban. He's played in the league long enough to know he shouldn't be doing that.
Shouldn't be doing that at all, or just in February 6?
My point is that while there isn't so much a conspiracy, simple supply and demand dictates that Utd and its players are more scrutinised than their counterparts. I don't for one second believe that rival players can get away with everything but I do believe Utd players are forced to maintain higher standards of professionalism to be viewed the same was as players at other clubs. I'm not so sure if the Cavani case happened at City it would have had the same coverage personally, and frankly, the Bernado Silva thing proves that, as what he did/said was genuinely racist and really he got off very lightly. The Cavani incident indicates there was a bit of a witch hunt in play.
I don't follow football media as closely as I used to, but from what I saw re. the Cavani incident, it was largely unnanimous amongst all fans in that everyone felt the ban was harsh and unfair when he clearly didn't mean any bad intent. Silva's post was also not intended to cause offence but was still a racial stereotype and even though Silva wasn't branded a terrible person (definitley ignorance more than any attempt at racism) it was largely accepted that a ban was acceptable and his post was an example of casual racism. Cavani got a longer ban, sure, and the two should have been equal if the same standards were applied. I don't think this has anything to do with United being held to a higher standard though.
It’s a pretty insane coincidence though. Don’t think I’ve seen a player do an airplane celebration for two decades, much less tweet the airplane emoji like this. It’s just a bizarre thing to tweet full stop, let alone on Feb 6th. Could have done the tweet without the explosion too. There’s an awful lot of coincidences here. An incredible amount, in fact.
I think what’s more likely is that someone at Man City runs his social media and decided to do it for a craic to see if anyone would notice.
Bloody hell, don't give the FA ideas!!
Everyone knows the sort of dick who does outrageous stuff whilst still leaving just enough plausible deniability in case all hell breaks loose. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what he did here.
I agree not many players outside of United would think "it's the Munich anniversary" and my gut feel is the person who does his social media thought it was funny but subtle enough to get away with.
But remember Frank Swift died in the crash, a City 'legend'. I'd have thought City would be reminding their players pre the anniversary (1) to be careful (a city mourned, not just a club) and (2) because a respected City player died also.
Could it be a coincidence, yes. Do I think it was (explosion, airplane on 6th Feb), no if I'm honest.
I don't expect the FA to do anything and assuming they don't, the biggest issue I'll have is that I thought the Cavani incident meant that intent was out of the window now (it was "would it likely offend").
It does seem like an unlikely coincidence if you say what are the chances of this particular player on this particular anniversary on the disaster. But that feels like a false narrative. There must be 100 or more players/managers who play or have played for City, Liverpool, Leeds (or anyone else who at some point called themselves your bitter rivals). And between them they probably generate a thousand social media posts a week, so the chances of finding one player from that 100 over the course of the last 15 years (or however long social media has existed like this) who has inadvertently generated a terribly timed post is not that small.
It's possible. Certainly a lot more likely than Fernandinho doing it himself, which some people here believe a did.
I don't know. You'd rather expect people to show respect anyway towards disasters without being reminded of it or even if no City people were involved.
I see a major difference between something that may cause offence 364 days of the year and something that is relevant for one day of the year.
On this point, does anyone with more knowledge than me about footballers' instagram accounts know if a managed account would be done through the club, or if each player has their own person. Given that players are public figures with their own sponsors, interests, national teams, charity affiliations etc, and frequently move clubs I'd have thought that their online persona would not be run by the club.
Most of not all footballers have their public accounts managed my social media companies.
You send a photo and the quote and they manage it. Same thing in the music industry too, had some cases where fake DMs were exposed due to 3rd media companies having the login account info.
Especially since he doesn’t talk English, I doubt he posts anything himself.
You send a photo and the quote and they manage it. Same thing in the music industry too, had some cases where fake DMs were exposed due to 3rd media companies having the login account info.
Especially since he doesn’t talk English, I doubt he posts anything himself.
It sounds bad if you put it that way, but it's not what Fernandinho posted. The emoticons were explosion-football-plane-laughter, in that specific order. Not quite an exploding airplane. Also, the post was accompanied by photos of him doing a heading and doing the airplane celebration. And that's not just semantics.
Also, I myself had absolutely no idea that the Munich date was coming up until someone mentioned it in a newbie thread. That still didn't give me the specific date though, which I learned about only because RedCafe changed colours. I am not a United fan and don't live in Manchester, but so even someone who is pretty active on this forum (also for many years as a lurker) can be ignorant of the date.