New Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has apologised for controversial comments he made about Mason Greenwood in November.
While at Manchester United, Greenwood faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022, though the charges were eventually dropped.
The situation resulted in Greenwood leaving the club on loan to Getafe and then eventually on a permanent basis to Marseille, where he worked with De Zerbi.
The forward’s past means that he’s never really far away from controversy, and the Italian sought to shed a more positive light on the player a few months ago.
“I don’t want to get involved in anyone’s private life. I don’t even get into the private lives of my children, because I want to give everyone their freedom,” De Zerbi said in November.
“All I can see is that Mason seems a good lad, he paid in a strong way for what happened.
“He has probably here found the right environment for him, which gave him affection, and held out its hand to him. When I look at him as a person, I feel sad for what happened in his life, without getting into the details.
“Because the person I know here is very different to the one that has been described, especially in England.”
Afterwards, he was accused of trivialising Greenwood’s past behaviour and downplaying the allegations made against him.
When rumours circulated that De Zerbi was heading to Tottenham, the Women of the Lane group said his previous comments raised “serious questions about judgement and leadership”.
Proud Lilywhites, Spurs’ official LGBTQ+ fans’ group, said: “When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, and frames it in a way that downplays the seriousness of what happened, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals.”
De Zerbi apologises
De Zerbi has sought to put out the PR fire by apologising for his comments ahead of his first match in charge of the club this weekend, as Spurs take on Sunderland.
“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women, or violence against anyone more broadly,” he told the official club website.
“I’ve consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.
“Those of you who know me well, will know that I’m not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or win an extra title.
“I’m sorry if I offended anyone’s feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I’m very sensitive to these things and I always have been.
“I hope that over time people will get to know me better and understand that at that moment, I didn’t mean to take a stance.”
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against Greenwood in February of 2023 due to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.
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