Manchester United winger Antony has denied accusations of physical aggression towards his former girlfriend, which have seen him dropped from the Brazil squad.
In an interview with Brazilian website UOL – which also published photographs and screenshots of messages between the pair – Gabriela Cavallin claims she was attacked by Antony “with a headbutt” in a Manchester hotel room on January 15, leaving her with a cut head which needed treatment from a doctor.
Cavallin, a social media influencer, also alleges she was punched in the chest by Antony, which she claims caused damage to a silicone breast implant which required corrective surgery back in Brazil.
Another alleged incident is claimed to have taken place at a house on May 8, with Cavallin saying she suffered a cut finger while trying to protect herself, accusing Brazil international Antony of throwing a glass cup towards her as well as then taking her passport.
Cavallin is said to have filed a report to the Sao Paulo Civil Police concerning allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Antony while on holiday in Brazil during June 2022, when she was pregnant, as well as making a separate complaint to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Writing on Instagram, Antony, who signed for United from Ajax in an £85.5million deal in September 2022, protested his innocence in response to what he called “false accusations”.
“Out of respect for my fans, friends and family, I feel obliged to speak out publicly about the false accusations I have been the victim of,” Antony said.
Antony (right) was in Premier League action for Manchester United against Arsenal on Sunday (John Walton/PA)
“From the beginning I have treated this matter with seriousness and respect, providing the necessary clarifications before the police authority. The police investigation is under judicial secrecy, and therefore I cannot make its contents public.
READ MORE: Fans react with fury at 'draconian' UK government rules on away fans
“However, I can calmly state that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and the other evidence that will be produced demonstrate that I am innocent of the accusations made.
“My relationship with Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal insults from both sides, but I never committed any physical aggression.
“At each moment, whether in testimony or in an interview, she presents a different version of the accusations.
“Therefore, I come to vehemently deny the accusations made and inform you that I remain at the entire disposal of the Brazilian authorities to clarify whatever is necessary.
“I trust that the ongoing police investigations will demonstrate the truth about my innocence.”
In a statement to Telegraph Sport, GMP said: “Greater Manchester Police is aware of the allegations made and enquiries remain ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding this report. We will not be commenting any further at this time.”
Manchester United had no comment on the matter when contacted by the PA news agency on Monday evening.
Following the emergence of the allegations, Brazil confirmed Antony had been withdrawn from the squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru, with Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus called up as a replacement.
“Due to the facts that became public this Monday, 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,” a statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation read.
“To replace him, coach Fernando Diniz called Gabriel Jesus, who was pre-selected on a list of 36 players, sent to FIFA.”
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has been called up to replace Antony (Adam Davy/PA)
The allegations against Antony come after United announced last month that Mason Greenwood would leave the club.
Greenwood was suspended by the Old Trafford club on January 30, 2022 over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.
The case, where the forward faced charges including attempted rape and assault, was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in February and he has since joined Spanish side Getafe on loan.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here