Sarah Kelly, the mother of the young lad whose phone was destroyed after an incensed Cristiano Ronaldo slapped his hand on Saturday, has called out Manchester United for making the events worse.
Struggling Everton hosted Manchester United in a crucial fixture for both sides and Everton came out unscathed from the tie, as a toothless United barked throughout the game but produced no bite.
Ronaldo, known for his tantrums when things don’t go his way, was seen limping out of the pitch after suffering some cuts due to a tackle in the latter stages of the match. A young fan was making videos of the players, and an angry Ronaldo slapped the phone out of his hand, destroying it.
Investigations by the Premier League, Manchester United and Everton have been ongoing but footage of the slap has flooded the internet. Ronaldo has also taken to his Instagram to apologise and invite the fan to a match at Old Trafford in a show of sportsmanship.
However, Sarah Kelly, the mother of the victim, has refused the offer while kicking up a storm in the media over Ronaldo’s actions and calling for greater punishment on the five-time Ballon d’or winner.
On Tuesday, she hit out at United, stating that their handling of the situation has “made things even worse” after refusing any attempts at reconciliation, claiming it was her son’s wishes.
“United have handled it terribly and it’s just made things even worse, to be honest,” Kelly told the Liverpool Echo. “The way I see it is, if someone assaulted him in the street and then asked us to go around for dinner, we wouldn’t.
“Just because he’s Cristiano Ronaldo, why would we do it? It’s like we owe him a favour, but I’m sorry, we don’t. We’ve kindly declined the offer to go to United because Jake doesn’t want to go there and he doesn’t want to see Ronaldo. He’s made that pretty clear.
“They’re not my words, they’re my son’s words. At the end of the day, this is what it’s about. It’s affected him more than it’s affected me, so I have put everything to him to make his own mind up on – he doesn’t want to go to United, he doesn’t want to go to see Ronaldo. All that I’m saying right now is that it’s in the hands of the police.”
Ronaldo could face charges as the police are now involved in the investigations, as revealed by Kelly. The incident is a representation of United’s struggles this season on and off the pitch, a stark contrast to the promise of a great season that the club made to its fans.
United currently sit in seventh outside the UEFA Champions League and European places. Their biggest failure, however, is Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford, despite the goals he has scored for the club.
