Former Lazio and Inter Milan star Ruben Sosa has jumped to the defence of Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani.

Like the rest of Uruguayan football, Sosa is outraged by the three match ban given to Cavani by the English FA for a social media post to a close friend. The ruling also included a £100,000 fine and orders that he attend an 'education programme'.

In response, Sosa told TMW: "I think they targeted Cavani as a public figure. If a lawyer or an architect had said so, nothing would have happened. We in Uruguay also have foreigners: Italians, Spaniards, Africans. In every family there is a black friend, but we say 'negro' or 'negrito' not to offend. It is an intimate, affectionate term, you say it to a friend, to a brother. Even with a slightly overweight person we use the term 'gordito', but it's loving.

"For us these are normal things. But in Europe they magnify things. They were angry with (Luis) Suarez when he didn't shake hands with a footballer. Now Cavani. Always on the Uruguayans. It's easy to blame Uruguay, a country where we have three million inhabitants.

"But we are a happy country: we are small, but with a big heart. Edinson called a friend a Negrito, it was a show of affection: it's like saying 'brother'. Now let's hope this difficult time passes. Of course, sorry that the scapegoat is always a Uruguayan. Maybe we win a lot and they worry..."