Manchester United are about to deal with another domestic violence incident after summer signing Antony Matheus dos Santos, known mononymously as Antony, was accused by his girlfriend of domestic violence on Tuesday.
The club are still dealing with the fallout of Mason Greenwood’s case which hit the internet in early 2022 and forced the club to suspend the young attacker’s contract while the law took its course. Greenwood is now free to return as a functioning member of society but the club faces a moral dilemma on the issue.
It does not help that there are several dissenting opinions within the club about potentially restoring his status as a Manchester United contracted player.
Their headaches are about to get worse as their £86 million summer signing Antony is set to face the same charges.
The 23-year-old was accused of domestic violence and assault threatening bodily harm in a complaint laid at a Sao Paolo police station. The unnamed woman, who is said to be his girlfriend, filed a charge with multiple allegations of violence on a number of occasions.
The first is said to have taken place at a nightclub in Sao Paulo in July 2022. The second looks to be more serious as the woman alleged that she required surgery to heal after being violently attacked by Antony in January 2023.
Two further attacks in the report are alleged to have happened in England, with one – a verbal threat by Antony where he spoke of taking her life – alleged to have happened on the day of Man United’s 1 – 0 win over Bournemouth in the 2022/23 season, a match which Antony took part in.
Another had pictorial evidence of a scar which the woman alleges was gotten from a glass cut after an altercation with the former AFC Ajax Amsterdam forward.
It is understood that her reports were for “urgent protective measures” against the player, who she claims to have had no contact with since 28 May, the last day of the 2022/23 Premier League season. She has been advised by the police in Sao Paolo to undergo some more medical checkups to build a solid case against the Brazil international.
Brazilian publication Globo Esporte would eventually reveal the woman in question to be Gabriela Cavallin, a social media star in Brazil. Cavallin and Antony dated for a brief while in 2022 and she had a miscarriage which she posted on her social media for her fans to commiserate with her.
No comment has been made by Antony, his representatives or Manchester United at the time of this reportage.
