da wazamba： The club took three months to release a statement on the claims made against the Brazilian winger – which is just not good enough
da brdice： When Mason Greenwood left Manchester United to join Getafe on loan last week, minutes before the transfer deadline window closed, there must have been a huge sense of relief within the club.
In the words of one source, the situation had left United "on a knife edge all summer". And when it emerged that the club were planning to bring the striker back six months after charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour against Greenwood had been dropped, it caused huge damage to United's image and reputation, even though they eventually decided that the striker could not continue his career at Old Trafford.
Greenwood, who denies all the allegations against him, is Getafe's problem now and the Liga side's coach Jose Bordalas is the one who has to field questions about him – not Erik ten Hag.
But just when United thought they had put one extremely comfortable situation behind them and could just focus on football, another volcano has erupted after serious allegations of domestic violence were made against Antony by his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin.
The Brazilian's case is different to Greenwood's but it is no less shocking and it presents the club with another huge dilemma. Do they allow Antony to continue playing or do they remove him from the squad until the case against him is resolved?
United are struggling on the pitch after two defeats in four Premier League matches and while he has done little to justify his £85 million ($106m) price tag, Antony is a regular starter and key to Ten Hag's style of play. But after bungling the Greenwood situation, they must show leadership and act decisively. The spotlight is on them yet again and they must do the right thing.
GettySlower to act than with Greenwood
Based on the precedent United set with Greenwood back in January 2022, Antony should already have been suspended from the team. Although United faced a huge backlash for wanting to reintegrate Greenwood last month, when the allegations against the striker first emerged on social media, they acted swiftly.
The club released a statement on their website acknowledging the accusations shortly after they appeared. Later that day, after Greenwood had been questioned by police, they announced the striker would "not return to training or play matches until further notice".
When the charges against Greenwood were dropped, they conducted a thorough, six-month internal investigation before eventually deciding he could not continue his career there following fan protests and a backlash from the general public.
They made big mistakes during that investigation, such as not consulting domestic abuse charities, who they deemed would be "hostile" to bringing Greenwood back. But they took the matter very seriously.
AdvertisementGettyNo comment for three months
Their initial reaction to the Greenwood story contrasts with how they responded to the accusations against Antony. When news that Cavallin had filed a police report in Sao Paulo against the winger emerged on June 6, United did not release any public statement, merely telling Brazilian media: "We will not make official comments until the facts are clear."
United maintained their silence when Cavallin spoke out publicly for the first time about Antony's behaviour later in June, and when Antony denied the allegations in a post on Instragram later that month. The player went on United's pre-season tour of the United States and started the club's first four matches of the Premier League season. Ten Hag was never asked about Antony by the media.
Even when United faced criticism about their attempt to bring back Greenwood, there was little discussion about Antony. Although the accusations against the Brazilian were in the public domain, the fact that the complaint had been filed in Sao Paulo and not Manchester seemed to shield the player from the scrutiny Greenwood had faced.
And unlike with Greenwood, there was little publicly-available evidence of Antony's misdemeanours. Although fans were aware he was facing accusations, most did not know the details. That allowed United to avoid making any public comment on the player until they released a five-line statement on Wednesday, exactly three months after Cavallin filed her first complaint against Antony.
GettyShocking interview
Cavallin's interview with Brazilian website – released on Monday and containing excruciating detail of three separate, abusive incidents between the DJ and Antony – blew the case wide open.
Cavallin told she was first assaulted by Antony on June 1 2022, while she was pregnant and on holiday in Brazil. She claimed Antony, who was then at Ajax, put her in a car, attacked her and threatened to throw her from the moving vehicle at speed.
"He said that if I didn't stay with him, I wouldn't stay with anyone. I told him that I was pregnant, that he was scaring me, making my heart race. I was shaking with fear," Cavallin said.
The DJ also alleged that in January 2023 Antony headbutted her and dislocated one of her breast implants. She also claimed that in May 2023 he locked her in a house after throwing a glass at her, which led to cutting her finger down to the bone.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed later on Monday it was making enquiries into the case. Still, there was no response from United. There was plenty of reaction from elsewhere, however.
Getty 'Culture of impunity'
"The world is watching Manchester United to see how one of the biggest clubs responds to these latest reports of domestic abuse," said Andrea Simon, director of End Violence Against Women Coalition.
"We once again call on the Premier League and FA to take meaningful action as it is clear that these are not incidents they can take in isolation, but part of a pattern of behaviour within a culture that enables footballers to perpetrate violence against women with impunity."
Refuge, meanwhile, lamented the way clubs had dealt with previous cases of abuse.
"Refuge is deeply concerned by the number of domestic abuse allegations involving high profile sports figures, such as footballers, that have been emerging in the media over the last few months, and the responses that clubs have had to these," said Tracy Blackwell, director of strategic insights and partnerships.
"It is important that the FA, Premier League and clubs make it clear to their fans that they do not condone any forms of violence against women and girls. Domestic abuse is a crime and should be treated as such. Swift action needs to be taken to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to abuse and address this culture of violence against women and girls within football."