Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been charged with “improper and/or violent conduct” in connection with an incident in which he seemed to have knocked a fan’s phone out of his hand.
The incident took place at Goodison Park following Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Everton in April of last year.
A viral video on social media showed the Portugal international appearing to knock a young fan’s phone out of his hand as he walked off the field and into the tunnel.
Police issued a warning to Ronaldo over the incident in August, and he later apologized to Jacob Harding, 14, on his Instagram account, stating that his feelings after such a negative outcome had gotten the better of him.
The FA has now charged Ronaldo for his misconduct, revealed in a statement released on Friday, September 23rd.
The statement read, “Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 for an incident that took place after Manchester United’s Premier League match against Everton FC on Saturday 9 April 2022.
“It is alleged that the forward’s conduct after the final whistle was improper and/or violent.”
However, in reaction to the charge, Manchester United has declared that they will back their player.
The club said in a statement, “We note the FA announcement in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo. We will be supporting the player in response to the charge.”