Brazilian star Antony, who was reportedly accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend and reported to the police, claimed he did not assault her on Wednesday.
The 5th Women’s Police Station in So Paulo’s Tatuapé neighbourhood is where the complaint was made, and there is still an open investigation going on there.
The charges include three additional reported occurrences, some of which occurred in England, and are said to have occurred in a nightclub in Sao Paulo in July 2022. In a social media post on Wednesday, Antony, who joined United for £85 million last summer, denied the allegations and said he had since spoken to the police, who are looking into the reports.
The Manchester United forward stated in his Instagram story, “To friends, fans, and followers. For you, after having given my testimony at the police station where the investigation involving my name is being conducted, I wanted to speak publicly, for the first time, since I was falsely accused of assault.
I was silent so far so that nothing could interfere with the investigative process, but during all these days my family and I suffered in silence. Even though I was born and raised in a very needy community, I had never gone through a situation similar to this, in which a false accusation of aggression generated a previous and unfair public judgement on the part of some.
“After the closure of the investigation, my innocence will be proven, being certain that justice will prevail and the damage initially caused to my image will remain in the past. Thank you for the countless messages of support received at this very difficult time.”
Ajax and the Eredivisie’s biggest transfer ever occurred in August 2022 when Antony signed a five-year contract for a transfer fee of €95 million (£82 million), plus an additional €5 million (£4.27 million) in add-ons. This was the third-highest transfer fee ever paid by the club, behind Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku. In his debut year at Old Trafford, he played 44 times, scoring 8 goals. His season was cut short due to an ankle injury, and he was unable to participate in the FA Cup final loss to Manchester City.