Portugal ace Cristiano Ronaldo was charged by the Football Association on Friday in relation to an incident that saw the Manchester United forward apparently knock a phone out of a young autistic Everton fan’s hand at a Premier League match in April.
Ronaldo’s conduct has been alleged as improper and/or violent, the governing body ruled and received a police caution in August after being interviewed by officers in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage following the incident at Goodison Park on April 9.
Footage then went immediately viral of Ronaldo appearing to angrily knock the young, eager supporter’s mobile phone onto the ground as he walked sullenly toward the tunnel following United’s 1-0 loss.
Under British law, a caution is essentially a warning given out by police for a minor crime if the person admits to the offense as after the incident Ronaldo issued a social media apology for his “outburst” and invited the supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford “as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship.”
The offer however was snubbed by the mother of the young autistic boy, saying the Portuguese star had no right to behave the way he did at all and felt that Ronaldo was not sincere in his apology.