Manchester United winger Antony has given an interview in his homeland of Brazil, denying allegations of assault from his former partner Gabriela Cavallin, as well as two other women.
Antony is under investigation by Brazilian authorities and Greater Manchester Police after Cavallin alleged he assaulted her on separate occasions between June 2022 and May this year.
In an interview with Brazil news outlet UOL that was published on Monday, September 4, Cavallin alleged she was first attacked by Antony on June 1, 2022 while she was pregnant when on holiday in Brazil. She claims he threatened to throw her from a moving car.
Cavallin further alleges she was head-butted and punched by Antony in a Manchester hotel room on January 15, 2023, which resulted in a damaged breast implant. She claims she also sustained a finger injury during an incident on May 8 2023.
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Antony had labelled Cavallin’s allegations “false” in a statement on social media and denied them further during an interview with Brazil TV channel SBT on Friday, insisting that while their relationship was “turbulent,” he “never touched her”.
He told the Fofocalizando programme. “This was what happened: I left training in the morning, got my car and went to the hotel where she was staying.
“We had lunch together, like normal. We chatted, like normal. All calm. Something that annoyed and irritated her was when I would say, ‘I need to go, because I have things to do as well.’ I told her I needed to go and at that point there was an argument.
“I was sat on the bed. She grabbed my face. She flipped. She smashed a cup, smashed a plate … she came at me.
“At that moment, I held her. I didn’t squeeze her, didn’t do anything. I told her, ‘Calm down, calm down, calm down.’” Asked about the alleged headbutt, he said: “No, I didn’t headbutt her. At no point did I headbutt her.”
Brazilian outlet Extra reported on Thursday that a woman called Rayssa de Freitas filed a police complaint against Antony on May 20 2022, claiming she needed hospital treatment after being in the former Ajax player’s car with another woman and a hairdresser following a visit to a nightclub in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A third woman, Ingrid Lana, 33, has also claimed Antony pushed her against a wall and tried to have sex with her when she visited his house in England last October.
Asked about Lana’s accusation, Antony said: “Negative. Negative. I’m 100 per cent certain that I never touched any woman. 100 per cent. I am certain. I will produce the proof and people will understand. They will see the truth.”
“Never,” he added, when asked if he had assaulted any woman. “I never have and I never will.”
Brazil withdrew Antony from their squad for their fixtures in September.
A statement on September 5 read: “Due to the facts that became public this Monday (04/09), involving striker Antony, from Manchester United, and which need to be investigated, and in order to preserve the alleged victim, the player, the Brazilian team and the CBF, the entity informs that the athlete has been withdrawn from the Brazilian team.”
Asked if he thought his career might be over, Antony said: “Definitely not,” adding that it was his “dream” to return the national team — “and for the country to see that Antony is innocent.”
Manchester United did not offer further comment on Antony’s interview after being approached by The Athletic on Friday.
The club acknowledged the allegations from Cavallin in a statement released on Wednesday, September 6.
“Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the police are conducting enquiries,” it read. “Pending further information, the club will be making no further comments.
“As a club, we are taking this matter seriously, with consideration of the impact of these allegations and subsequent reporting will have on survivors of abuse.”
An initial statement released on Antony’s social media before the interview aired had read: “Out of respect for my fans, friends and family I feel obligated to speak publicly about the false accusations I have been a victim of.
“From the beginning I have handled this issue seriously and respect, providing the due clarifications to the police authority. The police inquest is under cover of justice, and therefore I cannot make its content public.
“However, I can say with confidence that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and more to be produced show that I am innocent of the accusations made. My relationship with Ms. Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal offenses from both sides, but I never practiced any physical aggression.
“Every time, whether in testimony or in interview, she presents a different version of the accusations.”
(Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
