En route to Old Trafford tonight to see my beloved Manchester United in action tomorrow.
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How is Man City footballer Benjamin Mendy doing?
You get the tickets handy enough?
City might sign him. I mean itās not as if he broke the law (sharia)
Very troubling.
Heās still entitled to the presumption of innocence until the evidence is tested in court. So the club can do nothing until that changes. Anything else might be seen as prejudicial.
Having said that, heās a toxic cunt and should never play for the club or any other serious club again.
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I have all the right friends in all the right places.
Make sure you go to the TollGate and bring cash for cans.
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Im going to The Lowry in the morning.
Mason Greenwood has been charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behaviour.
The Manchester United forward and England international, 21, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Manchester & Salford Magistratesā Court on Monday, October 17.
The Athletic explains what we know so far and Manchester Unitedās positionā¦
How did we get here?
Greenwood was arrested on Sunday, January 30 on suspicion of rape and assault, and further arrested on Tuesday, February 1 on suspicion of sexual assault and making threats to kill.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said the arrest came after the force ābecame aware of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violenceā.
Police can detain suspects for up to 24 hours before they must charge or release them, but this can be extended to 96 hours if the allegations involve violence.
A statement from police on Monday, January 31 said: āDetectives have been granted additional time to speak to a man in his 20s who is being held on suspicion of rape and assault of a womanā¦ Enquiries are ongoing and the victim is being offered specialist support.
āWe remind people to avoid any commentary or sharing of images that could compromise the victimās right to lifelong anonymity, or risk prejudicing a live investigation with active proceedings.ā
Greenwood, Manchester United
Greenwood playing for United against Aston Villa in January (Photo: Matthew Ashton ā AMA/Getty Images)
Greenwood was released on bail, pending further inquiries, on the morning of Wednesday, February 2.
On Friday, April 29 it was announced he would remain on conditional bail until mid-June.
A GMP statement said: āWe are continuing to investigate a report made to us on Sunday 30 January of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.
āAn application has been made to the courts to have his bail extended beyond Saturday 30 April, but the hearing isnāt expected to be until mid-June.ā
After a hearing on Thursday, June 23, GMP stated Greenwood remained on bail and declined to issue any further details.
On Saturday, October 15, Greenwood was arrested over allegations he had breached his bail conditions and remained in custody.
Later on Saturday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced he been charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour. All three counts relate to the same complainant, the CPS added.
Greenwood has not responded to the allegations.
What have Manchester United said?
On the day Greenwood was first arrested, Manchester United said he would not feature or train for the club āuntil further noticeā but stopped short of formally suspending him, a decision made with due process in mind.
After he was released on bail on February 2, the club released a new statement. It said: āManchester United reiterates its strong condemnation of violence of any kind. As previously communicated, Mason Greenwood will not train with, or play for, the club until further notice.ā
At the end of March, in response to questions about why Greenwood was still visible on the clubās website, United said there āhas been no change whatsoever in Masonās statusā.
On October 15, the club said: āManchester United notes that criminal charges have been brought against Mason Greenwood by the Crown Prosecution Service. He remains suspended by the club, pending the outcome of the judicial process.ā
What does that mean for Greenwood and United?
Unitedās October 15 statement is the first time the club have referred publicly to Greenwood being āsuspendedā.
Under the terms of the standard Premier League contract, clubs can only suspend players without pay for a maximum of 14 days.
Greenwood has been suspended from training or selection but has continued to be paid by United as part of the clubās contractual obligations under UK employment law.
Mason Greenwood
Greenwood signed a new United contract in February 2021 (Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
He last appeared for United in a 1-0 win at West Ham on January 22 but was listed as an under-21 player in Unitedās Premier League squad for 2022-23 when it was announced last month.
Greenwood signed a new contract with United in February 2021, which runs until 2025 and has the option of another year.
His previous deal, signed in October 2019, was worth around Ā£25,000 per week basic but United lifted his earnings to reflect his growing status at the club.
When else has happened?
On the Friday after his initial arrest, Greenwoodās name was absent from the matchday programme for Unitedās FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough, which saw Ralf Rangnickās side knocked out on penalties against the Championship club.
Greenwood was dropped by kit manufacturers Nike at the beginning of February and his named was removed from video games FIFA, eFootball and PES. Later in February he was taken out of the latest update of the Football Manager game, too.
The England international has not played for his country since September 2020, when he and Manchester Cityās Phil Foden were dropped from Gareth Southgateās squad for disciplinary reasons after breaching COVID-19 rules after a 1-0 win against Iceland.
Why hasnāt more been written about this case?
News stories about arrests and legal issues are different from the other sorts of articles you will find on The Athletic. They are often incredibly short, for example, conspicuously light on detail and will often not give readers an opportunity to comment (as you canāt here).
We understand this can be confusing. And we understand you might have questions. But there are laws about what we can and cannot report, which are explained in detail here.
(Top photo: Chloe Knott ā Danehouse/Getty Images)
Disgraceful
You got beautiful weather anyway.
Tricky enough game
Iād have thought so too. If Newcastle raise a trot they can be dangerous. Easier at home. Iām afraid @peddlerscross missed half the entertainment by not going fully native. The Lowry hotel is largely populated by middle aged wanna be gangsters who because they sat beside one of the quality street gang in pizza hut one time think they have the inside track on the protection rackets. Black leather coat and large gold watch (likely fake) are the go to accoutrements.
What channel on the dodgy box lads?
Iām not sure on the penalty call myself but the whistle was blown so I think the goal should stand.