 "Antony footballer")
Manchester United, on Wednesday, issued a statement on their winger, Brazil's Antony Matheus dos Santos, commonly known among football fans as Antony. The statement says that United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the Police are conducting enquiries.
What are the allegations against Antony?
Antony's ex-girlfriend and a popular DJ, Gabriela Cavallin, alleged the footballer of domestic violence while they were in a relationship between June 2022 and May 2023. The allegations include headbutting, throwing a glass at Cavallin, and physically as well as verbally and emotionally attacking her.
To support the charges, Cavallin, who is also a social media influencer, attached photographs and screenshots of messages in her interview to a Brazilian website Uol.
In a statement, Cavallin said, “He (Antony) 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," the Brazilian DJ further added that she eventually lost the baby after roughly 16 weeks of pregnancy.
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How has Antony defended himself?
Vehemently denying the allegations, Antony, 23, has continuously posted on his social media accounts and has also released various statements. In his latest statement, the United winger said, “I can say with confidence that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced shows that I am innocent of the accusations made.”
“My relationship with Ms Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal offences from both sides, but I never practised any physical aggression. I trust that the ongoing police investigations will demonstrate the truth about my innocence,” he added further.
What have been the ramifications of the allegations?
Dropped from Brazil's squad
The allegations were published on Monday, September 4, 2023. On that very day, the Brazil Football Federation- CBF released a statement saying that they had dropped Antony from the squad selected for the national team's World Cup qualifiers games scheduled for September 8-12.
Women’s Aid forces Manchester United to release statement
Women's Aid, a grassroots federation working against domestic abuse in the United Kingdom, released a statement only a day after the allegations came out. They said that United was not serious about the issue.
“When the alleged perpetrator is a high-profile footballer, we know from survivors of domestic abuse that this has an impact on both football fans and wider society, who see them playing and celebrated on the pitch as a sign that the allegations are not being taken seriously by the club,” the statement from the organisation read.
What did Manchester United have to say?
Domestic abuse has become a serious issue after one of its players, Mason Greenwood, was involved in a similar issue, and after a lot of to and fro, the club had to eventually release him on loan to Getafe. Antony joined Man Utd in 2022 from Ajaz. The transfer fee of 85 million pounds to acquire his services was the highest paid for any player in the Dutch football league Eredivisie.
This time around, the Red Devils' management was quick to react and issued a statement which read, “Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the Police are conducting enquiries. Pending further information, the club will be making no further comments. As a club, we are taking this matter seriously, with consideration of the impact of these allegations and subsequent reporting will have on survivors of abuse.”
