A further two women have come out to accuse Manchester United star Antony of assault as pressure is mounting on the club to suspend the player.
Following a fresh batch of allegations made by ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin earlier this week, the Man United winger is now being investigated by both Brazilian authorities and Greater Manchester Police and has been subsequently withdrawn by his national team until the case has been resolved.
While Cavallin first made her claims back in June, with Antony insisting his innocence throughout, another two women have now spoken out against the 23-year-old, alleging that they were assaulted by the former Ajax player in the past 12 months or so.
As per various outlets in his home country, Rayssa de Freitas, an influencer and law student, claims she was left injured after being assaulted by Antony and another woman in May 2022. Brazilian newspaper Extra reported that De Freitas went to Sao Paulo Police at the time and even required hospital treatment.
The third woman to speak out is 33-year-old Ingrid Lana, a banker who claimed in a recent television interview with journalist Roberto Cabrini — the same man who spoke with Cavallin on Record TV earlier this year — that she was pressured by Antony to have sex while on a business trip to England last year.
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Gabriela Cavallin broke her silence in JuneIngrid Lana gave a similar interview this weekCredit: Record TV
Lana alleged that Antony invited her to his home and ended up pushing her against a wall which resulted in her banging her head.
“He tried to have a [sexual] relationship with me and I didn’t want to”, she claimed, adding, “He pushed me against the wall and I hit my head. My purpose was just business. Arriving there at his invitation, I realised he had ulterior motives.”
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With three different women now alleging similar inappropriate and often violent behaviour from the Brazil international, United were led to release a statement assuring that they are taking the investigation into consideration but are still being criticised for as yet refusing to suspend him from the squad.
This comes in what has been a terrible few months of publicity for the club, with not only Mason Greenwood‘s long drawn-out controversy having loomed large over Old Trafford but, most recently, the shocking revelation that they invited a convicted paedophile to a women’s game last season.
Man United are yet to release an updated response to the latest claims and have already insisted they will make “no further comments” until the investigation reaches its conclusion, but it’s safe to say they’ll be keen to avoid further damage to their reputation which has taken a beating of late.
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As for Antony, it is understood that he is still denying the allegations levelled against him despite admitting, at least in the case of his former partner Cavallin, that there was “verbal abuse on both sides”.
Nevertheless, the online group Female Fans Against Mason Greenwood’s Return have also expressed their dismay at the club’s failure to act as another member of the squad’s conduct has once again been called into question.
Issuing a lengthy statement on social media, they said the allegations against Antony “are horrific and shows that clubs and football authorities need to step their game up in how they respond to these issues because they’re going to keep happening”, adding that “there need to be protocols in place that take decisions out of club hands…”
Swifter action needs to be taken in cases where those working in football are arrested and charged for crimes of violence and abuse to protect and support both fans and their colleagues within their clubs/the wider football industry. 3/3
— Female Fans Against Greenwood's Return (@FFAGR2023) September 4, 2023
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 -
8th September 2023 
