Manchester United winger Antony has been excluded from Brazil’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches due to allegations of assault made against him by an ex-girlfriend.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) released a statement explaining that Antony’s exclusion is aimed at “protecting the alleged victim, the player, the Brazil team, and the CBF.”Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will step in to replace Antony in the squad for the upcoming matches against Bolivia on September 8 and Peru on September 12.
Antony, aged 23, issued a denial on Monday regarding the allegations of physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin. In an Instagram statement, he asserted that he is the “victim of false accusations” and expressed confidence that evidence, both existing and forthcoming, would prove his innocence.
This denial followed reports in the Brazilian press that published WhatsApp messages purportedly exchanged between Antony and Cavallin, in which the player is alleged to have made threats to his former partner.
In one of the cited conversations, Cavallin mentions the need to apologize for “kicks and assaults,” to which Antony appears to respond with “sorry.”
A photo also surfaced showing Cavallin with an apparent head wound.
Antony acknowledged in his Instagram post that his relationship with Cavallin had been “tumultuous” and involved “verbal abuse on both sides.”However he denied assaulting her. “I never practiced physical aggression,” he said.