Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo blew the roof off the club on Sunday evening following his explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, taking aim at several key figures.
Despite initially insisting that they will not be making an official statement on the situation, the club are understood to have been left “very disappointed” by Ronaldo’s comments.
According to Sky News‘ Kaveh Solhekol, both Ronaldo’s teammates and management figures have said they “don’t understand why he has said what he has said” and that they have been left “hugely disappointed that he would disrespect the club in this way”.
Kaveh went on to reveal that the team only learned the interview was taking place as they were preparing to fly back from London following their 2-1 away win against Fulham on Sunday night.
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While the mood in the dressing room and amongst fans would have been buzzing after Alejandro Garnacho’s 93rd-minute winner, the positivity has clearly taken a hit following Ronaldo‘s ruthless remarks.
The Sky Sports reporter also detailed how the 37-year-old informed staff he was ‘ill’, with United figures insisting that regardless of his accusations, “no one [at the club] has ever disrespected” him.
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Ronaldo was told on Thursday that he would not be in the starting XI against Fulham but he would have been in the squad. He told the club he was ill. No one at United has ever disrespected Ronaldo – even after he asked to leave & after he refused to come on as a sub v Spurs 3/3
Many footballing figures and fans alike have suggested that the Portuguese sports star should be sacked for his behaviour, with former Liverpool defender turned Sky pundit Jamie Carragher labelling him “bang out of order”.
He went on to argue, as he has done before, that bringing a personality as big as his back to the club in the last-minute manner they did was also a “massive mistake”, as he was never going to be satisfied with sitting on the bench.
Carra also suggested that there will be very few individuals connected to the club that will continue to side with him after this watershed moment and advised that United pull the trigger immediately.
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"I think they should sack him" ❌
Jamie Carragher says it was a 'massive mistake' signing Ronaldo and 'this was always going to happen' 😬 pic.twitter.com/4uHdkjfZGE
Given the media storm is only continuing to build, United have now issued a short statement clarifying that their response and next steps will be taken only once “the full facts have been established”.
They reiterated that their main focus remains don’t the second of the season after the World Cup, as well as “continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.”
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
14th November 2022 
