Negrito doesn't mean 'mate' but it is a word that CAN be used affectionately. The article I was referring to talks about context of how it was said and how that affects meaning. I've reffered to mates as 'c**t' in a jokey way and it has caused no offense. If used in a heated exchange it will cause offence. If English friends refer to me as a 'Paddy' its affectionate and doesn't offend me, but in London a drunken stranger once told me to 'go home you fucking Paddy.' I was really pissed off with him because of context.
If we take the point Negrito doesn't mean 'mate' and means 'Black man' it still isn't racist. Then surely another word would have been added
to this to make it offensive. E.g. a Spanish word for 'Fucking' or 'c*nt'. However, the way I see it is they've used the English variation of the
word 'Ne-gro' as offensive (whipping up the media and public fury) and the translation into English of the Spanish variation of the word 'Neg-ro'
to show the word even said in Spanish relates to the skin Colour.
Whilst ignoring the fact that the word in the context it was used 'Spanish' by a Uraguayan appears not to be either offensive nor Skin colour
related only. Whilst this word also said during a 'heated game' doesn't necessarily make it said in a context required to make it a Racist remark
also. Without video evidence. We are left with Evra both stating not only what word was said to him but more importantly pointing out WHEN the
word was said. To give the context needed.
If this is what's happened this isn't proof enough surely. It's not good enough to say during a game it must have been an offensive context nor
take a word and use it in more than one variation to prove racism. It has to be proved in terms of the language it was spoken and not what it
translates to or means if it had been the English variation. Context is all important in this. Could it be possible that the FA/Evra have adapted the
context to ensure a guilty verdict?And even so there appears too much doubt regards the context it was used even during a 'heated game'. Without
conclusive proof i.e. video or eyewitnesses then surely only a not guilty verdict should be concluded. Plus a negative Spanish word is required to go
with 'Black man' for it to be able to be deemed racist in the first place I would have thought.