- The mother of an Everton fan is not satisfied with Ronaldo’s social media apology; she says she would be happy if Ronaldo contacted them in person.
- Ronald apologized on social media for knocking the fan’s mobile phone out of his hand after Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat by Everton
- United bosses are satisfied with Ronaldo’s social media apology and will not take any legal against him.
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s apologies after an incident involving her 14-year-old son following Manchester United‘s defeat on Merseyside has angered an Everton fan’s mother.
Ronaldo allegedly knocked a mobile phone out of the hands of a watching fan as he walked off the ground at Goodison Park. The 37-year-old later apologized on Instagram for an “outburst.”
Everton fan (left) Ronaldo (right). Photo: Manchester United News
He said: “It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as those we face.
“Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful and patient and set an example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.
“I would like to apologize for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford, a sign of fair play and sportsmanship.” Ronaldo apologized.
Sarah Kelly, whose son, Jacob Harding, was injured in the incident, has slammed the Portuguese forward’s apologies.
“What enraged me was the apology or lack thereof,” Kelly told The Telegraph. “I thought to myself, ‘How rude – you’re telling everyone you’ve apologized when you haven’t.’
“OK, you have put it out on social media, but you should be apologizing to my son. He [Ronaldo] had several hours to ponder on it.
“He should have found out our contact details, been private, said he had spoken to us and released something. I would have been happy with that.”
The family has since been contacted by one of Ronaldo’s and United’s representatives. According to Kelly, United players, including Ronaldo, were high-fiving spectators before the game.
She continued: “There were loads of other people waving their phones around. Jacob was in a world of his own. He was, ‘Mum, Ronaldo’s hurt; I’m videoing’ as he came off. I was ‘OK’. I didn’t think anything of it.
“He wasn’t even looking at Ronaldo. He looked at what he’d done to his leg and didn’t realize the situation until the phone was on the floor.
Ronaldo apologised to the Everton fan through social media. Photo: Getty Images
“You can see the shock on Jacob’s face. He looks at me like, ‘Oh my god – that just happened.
“That was the reaction. It is pretty forceful. He has released what he has released,” she added.
“I was pretty shocked United hadn’t put a statement out asking us to get in touch, just something a bit heartfelt, rather than Ronaldo saying the supporter can come to me.
“That comes across really, really rude to me. Why would we, as Everton fans, go to United? He put, ‘this supporter’, it doesn’t state if he was an Everton supporter or a United supporter. It’s just a very, very weak apology, in my opinion.”
Meanwhile, the Club bosses have reportedly been left satisfied with the 37-year-old’s social media apology for the incident and will not be taking further action against the forward.
The incident occurred after a defeat that dropped them to the seventh position in the Premier League, with a better chance of missing out on Champions League participation next season, as they are six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
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