Sarah Kelly, the mother of the Everton fan whose phone Cristiano Ronaldo broke, has called on the FA not to let the Manchester United star 'get away with it'.
In April this year, Manchester United faced Everton at Old Trafford and lost 1-0. While the players were heading back into the dressing room after the game, a young Everton fan was trying to take photos of Ronaldo when he smashed the phone on the floor.
The FA charged the Manchester United star last week for 'improper and/or violent behavior' under their Rule E3. Kelly has now spoken about the charges and claimed that she wants Ronaldo's unacceptable behavior to be punished. She told the Mirror:
"Let's hope he finally gets the right punishment. He can't keep getting away with it. His behavior is unacceptable. I'm being hounded by people saying I'm dragging it up again but I didn't know anything about it. He should have been dealt with six months ago. My son talks about what happened to him every day. He still hasn't had his phone back.
She added that Merseyside Police paid for the repair of the phone, which is still in their custody, and said:
"He should have paid for that. He's the one who caused all this. It baffles me – he can assault a child and carry on as normal. How can he sleep at night knowing the distress he has caused to a young fan?
Continuing to talk about Ronaldo and his apology, Kelly said:
"He offered us to meet him and said he was sorry but said he had done nothing wrong. That's not an apology, that's an insult."
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo on the incident
Cristiano Ronaldo had posted on Instagram and apologized to the Everton fan for his behavior back in April.
He invited the young fan back to Old Trafford for a match and posted:
"I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship."
A final ruling by the FA is expected shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United respond to the charges.