Rachel Riley responds to Mason Greenwood’s exit from Manchester United-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Rachel Riley has responded to Mason Greenwood’s departure from Manchester United.

It was announced earlier today that the striker would be leaving the club.

The 21-year-old has been suspended by United since January 2022 after he was arrested and subsequently charged by Manchester Police with attempted rape, controlling behaviour and assault.

Meanwhile, Countdown star Riley had said she would not continue to support the club should Greenwood remain.

Now, the TV presenter has praised 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 abuse’.

They wrote: ‘We know that today’s news from Manchester United that Greenwood will be moving on from the club will be a relief for many survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

‘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.

‘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.’

They continued: ‘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, Riley said it was a ‘great statement’ in a concise tweet.

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 + poses serious questions about club bosses.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More