Manchester United winger Antony could be excluded from the squad amidst allegations of assault and causing bodily harm levelled against him by ex-partner Gabriela Cavallin.
Yesterday, the Brazilian football federation confirmed that the United star will not be involved with the Selecao for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Bolivia and Peru on September 8 and 12, respectively.
Greater Manchester Police issued a statement confirming they are looking into the allegations after receipt of a complaint from Cavallin regarding Antony.
UOL reports that there is a possibility the 23-year-old could be removed from Erik ten Hag’s squad in a similar manner to Mason Greenwood.
The lawyer of Antony’s ex-girlfriend conducted an interview where he stated that his client is not looking to damage the player’s football career and she is only looking for an admission of guilt and justice to be served.
The solicitor, Daniel Bialski, also stated that United have reached out to get more information on the circumstances surrounding the accusations made.
“The information I had this morning is that the legal department in Manchester contacted Dr. Vanessa [Gabriela’s lawyer in England] to schedule this meeting, this meeting has not yet taken place.”
“We will listen to what they intend to do in England, I don’t know what their intention is, but Gabriela’s desire as a victim is that these events do not happen again, not only against her, but against any woman, anyone who is a victim of a crime of the same nature.”
He reiterated that they intend to pursue the issue both in Brazil and England. This is because some of the incidents narrated by Cavallin apparently took place in England.
The Guardian explains that United have chosen to remain silent as pressure mounts on them to take action.
When approached by the newspaper for comment, the 20-time English champions pointed to Antony’s own statement and refused to declare their stance.
A number of domestic abuse charities have reached out to United to do something in response.
They have also called for a decision to be taken out of the club’s hands – Gary Neville echoed the same sentiments after the Greenwood decision was made when he advocated for an independent panel to be set up and tasked with handling such sensitive matters.