The career of English player Mason Greenwood from Manchester United is facing negative repercussions following allegations of sexual assault against a woman. Several of his teammates, including Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, have unfollowed him, and sponsors have ended their partnerships with him. The iconic video game "FIFA" has also removed him from the current version.
British police announced on Sunday that they have arrested a man on suspicion of rape and assault hours after Manchester United decided to suspend Greenwood after a woman accused him of assault. The police stated that an investigation has been opened, and they confirmed that a man in his twenties has been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault, noting that the identity of the man has not been disclosed as he is being held for questioning regarding the accusations.
Several of Greenwood's colleagues have unfollowed him on Instagram, with notable mentions including Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Marcus Rashford, David De Gea, Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof, Edinson Cavani, and Scott McTominay. However, team captain Harry Maguire and Portuguese player Bruno Fernandes still follow him along with a group of 17 other players.
The player was removed from the latest version of the famous electronic game "FIFA 2022" in an update executed by game officials on Tuesday. He was removed from all game versions across different platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, and computers.
Manchester United issued an official statement confirming that the player will not participate in matches or training until the investigations and official police questioning are concluded, and the club has removed the player's jersey and products from the official club store. A search for the player's name in the official store yields a message saying: "Sorry, your search for Greenwood did not match any results."
A source told the British newspaper "The Sun" that the player will continue to receive his weekly salary of £75,000 as the investigations proceed. The renowned brand "Nike" has confirmed the termination of its partnership with the 20-year-old player, stating in a brief statement: "We have ended our relationship with Greenwood; we are extremely disturbed by the allegations, and we will monitor the situation closely."
In 2019, Greenwood became the youngest player to participate in Manchester United's history in the Champions League at the age of 17, appearing 129 times for the team across all competitions and scoring 35 goals.
