Mason Greenwood’s departure from Manchester United has prompted a response from Rachel Riley.
The striker’s departure from the club was revealed earlier today.
The 21-year-old has been suspended by United since January 2022 after being detained and charged with attempted rape, controlling conduct, and assault by Manchester Police.
Meanwhile, Countdown star Riley has stated that she would no longer support the team if Greenwood remains.
Now, the TV host has hailed the charity Women’s Aid for their response to Greenwood’s departure.
Taking to Twitter, they issued a lengthy statement, acknowledging that Greenwood’s exit would be ‘a relief to many survivors of abuse’.
They wrote: ‘We know that today’s news from Manchester United that Greenwood will be moving on from the club will be a relief for many survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.
‘Football is loved by so many people worldwide, and players are often idolised by fans, so the way that alleged domestic abuse cases are treated in clubs has a huge impact on public understanding about what is accepted and tolerated in society.
‘We have heard firsthand the impact this case and the related materials shared on social media have had on survivors of abuse, and while next steps are established following the outcome of Manchester United’s internal investigation, this will happen away from centre stage of Old Trafford.’
Great statement https://t.co/4lJyBH78uQ
— Rachel Riley MBE 💙 (@RachelRileyRR) August 21, 2023
They continued: ‘With many survivors never contacting the police to report abuse in the first place, and the majority of domestic and sexual abuse cases not resulting in a criminal conviction, it is vital that clubs – like all employers – have an approach that is wider than the criminal justice system, and which deals with the reality of the scale of the issue.
‘This needs to involve addressing the attitudes that underpin domestic and sexual abuse, and working with players from a young age to make it clear that clubs stand against sexism and misogyny.
‘This is an issue that reaches far wider than football, with misogynistic content widely available on social media, so it is important to recognise how widespread harmful attitudes are and address this.’
‘We reached out to Manchester United last week in light of the statement made on Wednesday, and have subsequently had talks with the club,’ their statement ended. As part of our ongoing football campaign, Women’s Aid will continue to collaborate with football teams and groups to promote understanding and awareness of domestic abuse.’
Riley responded in a brief tweet that it was a “wonderful statement.”
She went on to repost a message from a domestic abuse campaigner who had tweeted: ‘This decision has exposed the willful silencing of domestic abuse/sexual assault charities in their mapping + poses serious questions about club bosses.’
