Manchester United has finally spoken out about the allegations of domestic abuse made against Brazil international Antony. This statement comes after the forward was dropped from his country’s two upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Premier League club acknowledged the seriousness of the situation but did not specify whether Antony would be available for selection.

The official statement from Manchester United reads: “Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the police are conducting enquiries. 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.”

“I vehemently deny the accusations,”

– Antony

Antony, the player in question, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in this case. The English Premier League club had been under immense pressure to respond to the allegations against Antony, especially in the wake of their decision to part ways with another striker, Mason Greenwood.

The Mason Greenwood Case

Manchester United’s decision to let go of Mason Greenwood was due to allegations of assault and attempted rape against him, which were eventually dropped in February. The prosecutors cited “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light” as the reason for dropping the charges against Greenwood.

The 21-year-old forward, Mason Greenwood, recently joined Spanish La Liga side Getafe on a season-long loan, following his suspension by Manchester United. Despite the allegations against him being dropped, the club decided it was in the best interest of all parties to part ways.

The Allegations Against Antony

The allegations against Antony came to light when Brazilian media published details of alleged domestic abuse by the player against his ex-girlfriend. In response to these allegations, the Brazilian football confederation announced that Antony would not be part of the national team for the upcoming games against Bolivia and Peru.

United had faced criticism for not commenting on the situation sooner. In fact, Antony posted a statement on Instagram before being dropped from Brazil’s squad, where he stated: “I vehemently deny the accusations.”

Antony’s ex-girlfriend had reported him to the police on May 20 for alleged domestic violence, accusations that he had consistently denied, both in June and again on Monday. Brazilian media even published alleged exchanges between the two, which seemed to show the player threatening and intimidating the woman on multiple occasions.

The Sao Paulo police confirmed that an investigation is ongoing but did not provide further details regarding the case.

Calls for Action

Campaign group End Violence Against Women Coalition has called for action following the allegations against Antony. They stated, “The world is watching Manchester United to see how one of the biggest clubs responds to these latest reports of domestic abuse. 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 behavior within a culture that enables footballers to perpetrate violence against women with impunity.”

As the investigation unfolds and public scrutiny continues, Manchester United remains at the center of attention regarding its response to allegations of domestic abuse within the club.