Muristek
Daman Singh
When the action is on the field, the most beautiful game on the planet, as they call it, has rarely failed to mesmerise the fans. Off it, the dark side of the game has recurringly come to light with some of the renowned faces accused of sexual abuse, rape or domestic violence. The incidents that sent shockwaves as far as back a decade continue to linger, while some fresh cases have been whirling in media of late. Here is a lowdown on some of the high-profile cases and related controversies.
Mason Greenwood
The Manchester United player's name is the latest one doing the rounds. Arrested on the suspicion of rape, sexual assault and death threats to Harriet Robson, an ex-girlfriend, the forward has been granted bail pending further investigations as of now. The allegations were substantiated when Robson posted pictures on Instagram of herself battered and bruised, apart from an audio clip which revealed Greenwood's aggressive behaviour. The outcome: Nike cut ties with the 20-year-old; no compensation received, suspended by club, and teammates, including Cristiano Ronaldo, removing him from their social media accounts.
Benjamin Mendy
CaptionThe pound;52-million arrival from AS Monaco in 2017 would wish it was just a nightmare. He was first charged with four counts of rape in August last year, consequently leading to a suspension by current club Manchester City. Aged 27, he has already spent 134 days behind the bars before being released on bail in early January. This doesn't stop here. Recently, he appeared at Chester Crown Court in the UK for an additional charge which raised the tally to nine charges, seven rape counts involving six women. Mendy now stands trial on July 25, with a pre-trial due for March 11. He has been placed under house arrest until then. If he's found guilty, EPL leaders Man City won't hesitate in sacking the Frenchman.
The Raith Rovers case
Scottish club Raith Rovers' deadline day signing of David Goodwillie, who was convicted as a rapist in 2017, welcomed outrage from fans and resignations from directors, sponsors and women's team captain Tyler Rattray. The retaliation stretched beyond the club, with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown scoffing at the move. Goodwillie has also been accused of three sexual assaults in the past.
Robinho
CaptionNine years. That is what the former Brazil international must spend in prison after Italy's Supreme Court upheld his 2017 conviction last month for being involved in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Milan back in 2013. He had appealed against the ruling twice, but lost on both occasions. A terrific dribbler capped 100 times, he's currently in Brazil and now stares at incarceration - in Italy or Brazil, it's undecided as the nation forbids extradition of its nationals - and must pay 60,000 euros in damages to the victim.
CR7's sin in Sin City?
Kathryn Mayorga, a former model and teacher from Las Vegas, has been associated with one of the biggest names in soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo, since June 2009.
She had then accused him of violating her in a hotel suite after a meeting at a nightclub in Las Vegas but Ronaldo has always denied the claims. In January 2010, Ronaldo reportedly paid Mayorga over pound;200,000 hush-money after a mediation between their legal parties. "Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense," he had tweeted in 2018 when the case reopened.
Though some evidence was obtained by the Las Vegas Police Department (LAPD), in June 2019 LAPD decided to drop the charges against the Portuguese star. The last time her name surfaced again was in April 2021, when she demanded pound;56 million in damages from him.
The others
Former United midfielder Ryan Giggs is still out on bail following his November 2020 arrest for repressive acts and bellicosity towards his partner and her sister. He was to be trialled in January but that has been postponed to August.
In 2014, France stars Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery made headlines for all the wrong reasons when they were accused of having sex with a minor. However, they were acquitted by a Paris court later that year. The alleged victim, Zahia Dehar, went on to lap up celebrity status.
PSG forward Neymar has also allegedly been at it. Four years ago, Brazilian model Najila Trindade had levelled allegations at him for raping her at a Paris hotel in May. However, the case was dropped over lack of evidence and Najila was charged with fraud by Brazilian police.
Link between games, domestic violence
The issue of violence related to football is nothing new and extends beyond the players. If clashes among rioting fans have reared up time and again in Europe, reports of domestic abuse spiked in England when the team lost to Italy in the 2021 Euros. Reportedly, 90 per cent of the victims were women. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Lancashire between 2013 and 2014 laid bare intriguing facts about domestic violence whenever the England national team played. It found two significant trends. First, the risk of abuse rose 26 per cent when the side won or drew and a grim 38 per cent when it lost. Second, the reported incidents increased in frequency with each new tournament.