Police in Merseyside, the Liverpool region, announced on Sunday April 10 that they had opened an investigation after Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesture of bad humor towards an Everton fan on Saturday after the defeat (1-0) of Manchester United.
As he was leaving the field, the Mancunian striker – used to hiding his disappointment, even his anger, when he loses – had tapped a teenager’s hand as he left the field, dropping his phone.
“We can confirm that we are in contact with Manchester United and Everton following reports of a possible assault during the game between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park,” a police spokesman said.
“An investigation is underway and police are working with Everton to analyze the CCTV images and they are collecting all the testimonies to establish if an offense has been committed,” the spokesperson continued.
The FA will also look into the incident, she told the online outlet. The Athletic. The mother of the 14-year-old boy, who has autism and dyspraxia, told the press that her son’s hand was bruised and that the incident had left him “in shock”.
As the teenager leaned near the entrance to the tunnel to film the Portuguese coming out of the field, “Ronaldo just walked past and in a very bad mood he hit my son’s hand, which made drop the phone, and it went on its way,” she told the Liverpool Echo.
Her son “is very disturbed by this and it totally disgusted him to go back to see a match”, although it was the first he was attending, she added. As of Saturday evening, CR7 had apologized on his Instagram account.
“It is never easy to manage your emotions in difficult times such as the ones we are experiencing,” wrote the Portuguese, as images of the incident circulated on the internet. “Nevertheless, we must always be respectful, patient and set an example for young people who love this beautiful sport. Old Trafford,” he added.
