Manchester United

Antony accuser 'drops complaint over alleged car assault'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 18 September 2023

One of the three women to accuse Manchester United winger Antony of domestic assault drops her complaint against the 23-year-old, according to a report.

One of the three women to accuse Manchester United winger Antony of domestic assault has dropped her complaint, according to a report.

The former Ajax man is currently taking a leave of absence following allegations from multiple women, all of which he has vehemently denied.

Antony was first accused of assaulting former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, who alleged that the Brazilian attacked her on several occasions between June 2022 and May 2023.

Antony was away with the Brazil national team when the first allegations surfaced, and the 23-year-old was dropped by the Selecao following Cavallin's accusations, which included a purported headbutt in a Manchester hotel in January.

Cavallin was said to have required hospital treatment from the alleged assault, and Antony was also accused of dislodging one of her breast implants by punching her in the chest, requiring her to undergo surgery.

Manchester United attacker Antony on August 19, 2023 © Reuters

A few days later, two other women came forward with claims against Antony, including law student Rayssa de Freitas, who alleged to have been injured by Antony following an assault in a car.

The incident apparently took place in Sao Paulo in May 2022, three months before Man United paid £85m to bring Antony to the club from Ajax, where he was managed by Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag.

However, The Telegraph now claims that De Freitas has withdrawn the allegation against Antony, and a police report from the time - which Man United were unaware of - has also been retracted in full.

Man United have been accused of failing to conduct proper background checks on players in the wake of the allegations, but the club insist that "due diligence" was taken, and they believe that only a handful of people had access to the police report.

Antony and De Freitas were said to have been in the car with another woman, who was initially accused of assault by the latter before also proclaiming that De Freitas had attacked her.

Manchester United's Antony on September 8, 2022 © Reuters

Police in Brazil and England are still looking into Cavallin's claims, while banker Ingrid Lana has also stated that Antony pushed her against a wall at his Manchester home in October after she rejected his sexual advances.

Antony has continued to strenuously deny all the allegations against him, and he remains on indefinite paid leave from Man United while he contests the accusations.

The Brazil international - who left Sao Paulo for Ajax in 2020 - has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 48 games for the Red Devils since his big-money move to Old Trafford.

Antony's absence coincides with Jadon Sancho's exile from the first team, as the England international has been ostracised by Erik ten Hag after publicly calling out the manager's claims over his effort in training.

The Red Devils also loaned Mason Greenwood out to Getafe this summer after conducting an internal investigation into allegations against the 21-year-old, who was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm before the case was dropped.