Manchester United have denied covering up an alleged incident of assault involving their Brazilian international Antony.
The club have described as “categorically false” reports in the Brazilian media that United sought to conceal an attack on Gabriela Cavallin, Antony’s former girlfriend, by arranging to have her treated by a club doctor rather than visiting a hospital.
The claims were reportedly first made by Cavallin’s legal representatives in a submission to Sāo Paulo police authorities as part of an ongoing investigation into a number of alleged instances of abuse. It was confirmed this week that Greater Manchester police are also looking into the claims, allegations that Antony strongly denies.
The reports relate to an incident that allegedly took place on 15 January of this year at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Manchester. According to Cavallin, Antony head-butted her causing a cut on her scalp. He also grabbed her and forced her on to a bed before landing on her, causing the displacement of a silicone implant in her breast.
According to the leaked deposition, Antony then called a club official who arranged for Cavallin to be seen by a doctor. The deposition claims the doctor worked for United and was brought in “with the deliberate intention of hushing up what had happened”.
United said on Thursday that “any suggestion that the club covered up these allegations is categorically false”. United confirmed that a member of staff arranged for a private doctor to visit Cavallin at Antony’s request, but denied that she was treated by any of the club’s medical staff. It is understood player welfare officials commonly arrange for private doctors to visit family members of playing staff if requested.
Antony has yet to be charged with any offence since the allegations against him first came to light in June of this year. He has dismissed the claims as “false allegations” and wrote on Instagram: “From the beginning I have treated this matter with seriousness and respect, providing the necessary clarifications before the police authority.
“However, I can calmly state that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and the other evidence that will be produced demonstrate that I am innocent of the accusations made. My relationship with Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal insults from both sides, but I never committed any physical aggression.”
United are under public pressure to act, however, with the allegations against Antony following quickly on from the club’s slow and uncommunicative approach to dealing with Mason Greenwood. The former England Under-21 forward had charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive and abusive behaviour against him dropped in February of this year with the Crown Prosecution Service saying: “In this case a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”
United had given serious thought to reintegrating Greenwood into their first-team squad this summer, but last week the 21-year-old was allowed to leave on loan to Spanish side Getafe. The club have subsequently consulted with the group Women’s Aid and the PFA over how their response could have been handled differently.
