Manchester United will not punish Cristiano Ronaldo after video footage emerged of him smashing an Everton fan’s phone after Saturday’s Premier League encounter at Goodison Park.
The Portuguese superstar saw his post-match actions inevitably go viral after he was caught on camera smacking a phone out of the hand of a 14-year-old, who was filming the United players leave the pitch. Emotions were clearly running high in the wake of United's 1-0 defeat which is likely to have a huge impact on the rest of their league season.
Both the FA and Merseyside Police are looking into the incident, with the latter in communication with United and Everton to determine whether any kind of criminal offence took place. The FA have told the Athletic : "We are aware of the incident and will be seeking observations on the matter from both clubs and the player involved."
Later on Saturday, Ronaldo took to social media to issue an apology for the incident: “It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing. Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game. I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship.
It has now been reported that United bosses have decided not to take any further action against the forward. The Sun claim club chiefs are satisfied with his apology.
However, Merseyside Police have confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the incident, saying in a statement: “We can confirm that they’re carrying out an investigating following an incident at the #EVEMAN match at Goodison involving a player as they were walking off the pitch and will be speaking to all parties involved.”
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The mother of the child whose phone appeared to be smashed has said her son has been left in shock and may not attend another game due to the incident. Sarah Kelly explained that she took her 14-year-old son Jake Harding to Goodison to watch his team for the first time and the day got off to the perfect start with Anthony Gordon’s deflected strike giving the Blues a much-needed three points in their battle against the drop.
Jake and Sarah were sat in the Park End behind the goal and close to the tunnel where both home and away players walk through at the end of the game. Images showed a frustrated Ronaldo knocking an object out of a fan’s hand.
