Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold held a crisis staff meeting last month and was reportedly grilled over the club’s handling of a number of off-field issues.
It has been almost two months since United pulled off a U-turn after initially planning to bring Greenwood back into the first-team setup.
United did not follow through on the plan, instead opting to send Greenwood on loan to La Liga outfit Getafe.
According to The Athletic, the meeting was held on September 18 and it has been claimed that, after being quizzed on an unconscious bias within the football club, Arnold said in no uncertain terms that prejudicial or inappropriate behaviour towards female staff members would be tolerated.
Arnold faced questions on Antony as well as Greenwood, although police authorities both in his native Brazil and in Manchester continue to make inquiries. The winger has not been charged or arrest.
Antony was given leave by United to address the allegations. However, the Brazilian returned on September 29.
One employee asked the follow: “I have personally witnessed uncomfortable behaviour from male employees at this club to my female colleagues. I’m also very aware of comments that have recently been made public, as well as behind closed doors, by senior executives that suggest an unconscious bias within the club. How can you ensure female staff are respected and valued across a club? And what process is in place for female employees to speak up if they feel uncomfortable by the actions or comments of certain members of staff?”
Arnold replied: “Any abusive, disrespectful or sexist language is not acceptable by anyone at this club. And anybody affected by that should report instances immediately, either to their line manager, to HR or an executive leadership team member.”
When it came to a question on Antony and whether the club knew about his alleged offences before signing him from Ajax, Arnold added: “As with every player, we conducted detailed due diligence, including the help of specialist third-party agencies externally. Police reports remain confidential to the person submitting them to the police in Brazil. So people alleging (we knew) are not aware of how the process works in Brazil.
“And our due diligence did include checking legal records in Brazil, as it does for players that we bring in. So we did due diligence. This was not highlighted and indeed, the allegation in which people say that the police report was made was withdrawn at the time. And again, there’s coverage of that online and I won’t go into any more detail. So it’s absolutely not the case that we were aware of this and covered it up.
“On Mason Greenwood, there was no suspicion of violence or domestic abuse (before the allegations). The young man had some queries around his life choices. Some of those are high profile. So, for example, (the incident) with the England team in Iceland, many of you will be aware, but those are very different to the allegations that led to his suspension. And equally, a lot of effort was made to support Mason as he made the transition to the first team to make sure that he was responsible for his decisions and behaviour and those were reflective of the club.”
Chief executive officer Collette Roche said in the report: “Manchester United remains firmly committed to creating an environment in which women are encouraged and enabled to reach their full potential, and properly recognised and rewarded for their contribution to the club.”
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