The fallout from the incident involving famous player Cristiano Ronaldo attacking a young fan at a stadium and smashing his phone continues. Despite the player's apology, the family remains unsatisfied. Jacob Harding's mother, whose son is 14 years old, stated that her son has been unable to sleep since the Manchester United star struck his phone to the ground after the match. She added that she has not heard an apology from the player either personally or from the club.
Her son also suffered a visible bruise on his hand, pain in his thumb, in addition to the broken phone. She revealed that he typically struggles with dyslexia and has autism, which makes it difficult for him to master certain fine motor skills, such as holding a pen or fastening buttons. The mother expressed her anger at the player's apology, considering it "rude," and insisted that the famous player should apologize to her son in person rather than through social media posts, according to a report by "Telegraph Sport."
Moreover, she explained that with autism, her son has difficulty processing situations, handling the incident in his own way and not believing that Ronaldo could act this way because he loved him so much. She emphasized that the renowned player was one of the reasons her son attended that match and felt that the player should interact with children differently, regardless of the match's outcome or his feelings at the time, asserting that Ronaldo's actions would not have gone unnoticed had they been done by an ordinary man.
It is worth noting that a spokesperson for Merseyside Police indicated that as players were leaving the pitch at 2:30 PM, a report was made about a boy being assaulted by a guest team player. The Football Association also announced that it would investigate the matter. The Portuguese star apologized for his actions, stating in a comment on his Instagram account on Saturday that it is not easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments, such as those currently experienced with Manchester United. However, he affirmed that "we must always be respectful, patient, and role models for the young fans who love the game."
He also expressed his desire to apologize for his moment of anger and invited the young fan to watch a match at Old Trafford to promote sportsmanship. Nevertheless, this apology did not achieve its intended purpose and instead angered the child's family further.
