Kick It Out urges FA to take action against City's Silva over Mendy tweet

Anti-racism body Kick It Out has called on the Football Association to take action against Bernardo Silva after the Manchester City midfielder posted a "discriminatory" tweet in reference to teammate Benjamin Mendy.

"We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva," Kick It Out said in a statement, according to BBC Sport.

"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 has been notified and we believe that retrospective action should be taken, including mandatory education - which is vital to challenge offensive behavior such as this."

Silva compared Mendy to a character from Spanish confectionery company Conguitos in the since-deleted tweet, adding the message, "Guess who?"

Mendy responded with emoji clapping hands and said, "1-0 for you will see".

After deleting the post, Silva said, "Can’t even joke with a friend these days ... You guys ..."

On Sunday, it was revealed that the FA is looking into the incident, according to the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg. It's understood that Silva, who scored a hat-trick during Manchester City's 8-0 win over Watford on Saturday, could be fined or banned by the English governing body.

The FA introduced a new measure during the summer that would result in a six-game ban for anyone found guilty of racist abuse. However, social media posts don't automatically apply, Steinberg adds.

Silva and Mendy are said to be close friends and have been teammates since 2016 when they played at AS Monaco. Both transferred to Manchester City a year later.