By Mason Greenwood arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood has been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations on social media.
Greater Manchester Police said it was made aware of “social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence”.
It added “we can confirm a man in his 20s has since been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault”.
An audio clip of a man threatening a woman and distressing images were posted on an Instagram story on Sunday morning.
The account was deleted shortly after.
Manchester United earlier said the player would not return to training or matches ‘until further notice.’
The club added that they “do not condone violence of any kind” and had been made aware of the allegations on social media but said it would make no further comment until the “facts have been established”.
This is not the first time Greenwood has been in trouble.
In September 2020 he was sent home from the England camp in Iceland after ‘breaking Covid guidlines’.
Reports claimed he had met up with local girls in the team’s hotel, therefore breaking strict Covid rules.
At the time, United released a statement stating they were “disappointed” with Greenwood’s actions but it is unclear what, if any, disciplinary action was taken.
England manager Gareth Southgate said the players had been “naive” but that the situation had been dealt with “appropriately”.
The saga was captured on Snapchat, with Greenwood and Phil Foden recorded discussing how to sneak the girls into their rooms.
Weeks after the Iceland incident, Greenwood was again spoken to by Man United officials amid concerns he was not turning up to training on time.
This begs the question, do football clubs take adequate action against their players when they are in the wrong or are events routinely swept under the rug for the sake of the club?
Following these recent allegations a spokesperson for Nike, which sponsors Greenwood, said in a statement: “We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
The Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on Twitter: “The club has now confirmed that Mason Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice. MUST fully support the decision of the club in this regard.”
Many have praised the young woman’s bravery for speaking out about the violence against her, while other have called for Greenwood to be jailed for the allegations.
But, despite the outrage at Greenwood, there seems to be a lack of shock amongst the public as footballers have unfotunately given themselves an unsavoury reputation.
Many remember Wayne Rooney not just as a footballer but a serial adulterer, hiring prostitutes while his pregnant wife was at home.
Then there’s former golden boy Paul Gascoigne, once loved by football fans until it emerged that he headbutted his wife Sheryl and threw her to the floor, breaking her finger.
Questions are now being raised into protocol when rape and abuse claims are raised against a player as these new allegations show that the problem isn’t just a few individual players but football culture as a whole.
Manchester United have been contacted for a comment.
(Image: Mason Greenwood/ Instagram)
