21 August 2023 , 18:01
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Rachel Riley has broken her silence after footballer Mason Greenwood was released from Manchester United after furious backlash.
The footballer last played for the first team in January 2022. Charges of attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in February of this year.
Countdown star Rachel, 37, had said she would not continue to support the club should Greenwood remain. Now, the TV presenter has praised the charity Women’s Aid for their reaction to Greenwood’s exit.
Taking to Twitter, they issued a lengthy statement, acknowledging that Greenwood’s exit would be ‘a relief to many survivors of domestic and sexual abuse’.
In the lengthy statement, they wrote: "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.
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Rachel Riley reacts as Mason Greenwood released from Man Utd after backlash (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"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.. 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."
Their statement concluded: "We reached out to Manchester United last week in light of the statement made on Wednesday, and have since had conversations with the club. Our approach at Women’s Aid remains the same – we want to work collaboratively with football clubs and organisations to increase understanding and awareness of domestic abuse, as part of our ongoing football campaign."
In response, TV star Rachel said it was a ‘great 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 and poses serious questions about club bosses."
Rachel also re-posted a tweet clarifying that Greenwood had not been ‘cleared’ of any charges. Instead, she reiterated that the charges against him were dropped by his accuser.
Man United launched an internal investigation to assess his future at the club, with the player training individually and United receiving data from his sessions. Once capped by England, the 21-year-old has two years left on his contract, with a club option of a further 12 months.
After the club shared a statement confirming his he will leave the club by mutual agreement, Countdown star Rachel - who is an avid supporter of Man United - reacted to the news on social media. She previously made her opinions on the situation very clear and said she would stop supporting the club if he wasn't dropped.
“I won’t be able to support United if Greenwood remains at the club," Riley previously posted to her 685,000 Twitter followers. She also shared a number of letters from fans expressing their concern at the possibility of Greenwood returning to the pitch in a Manchester United shirt.
Mason Greenwood will be released from Manchester United (Getty Images)On Monday, Manchester United released a statement that read: "Manchester United has concluded its internal investigation into the allegations made against Mason Greenwood. Our process commenced in February 2023, following all charges against Mason being dropped.
"Throughout, we have taken into account the wishes, rights and perspective of the alleged victim along with the club's standards and values, and sought to collate as much information and context as possible. This has required us to proceed with sensitivity and care to obtain evidence not in the public domain, including from those with direct knowledge of the case.
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"Based on the evidence available to us, we have concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that Mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged. That said, as Mason publicly acknowledges today, he has made mistakes which he is taking responsibility for.
"All those involved, including Mason, recognise the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United. It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford, and we will now work with Mason to achieve that outcome."
Rape and sexual abuse * If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999