Man Utd face another uncomfortable situation with Antony after disgusting allegations of domestic abuse - they cannot afford to make their Mason Greenwood mistakes again

Based on the precedent United set with Greenwood back in January 2022, Antony should already have been suspended from the team. Although United faced a huge backlash for wanting to reintegrate Greenwood last month, when the allegations against the striker first emerged on social media, they acted swiftly.

The club released a statement on their website acknowledging the accusations shortly after they appeared. Later that day, after Greenwood had been questioned by police, they announced the striker would "not return to training or play matches until further notice".

When the charges against Greenwood were dropped, they conducted a thorough, six-month internal investigation before eventually deciding he could not continue his career there following fan protests and a backlash from the general public.

They made big mistakes during that investigation, such as not consulting domestic abuse charities, who they deemed would be "hostile" to bringing Greenwood back. But they took the matter very seriously.

Their initial reaction to the Greenwood story contrasts with how they responded to the accusations against Antony. When news that Cavallin had filed a police report in Sao Paulo against the winger emerged on June 6, United did not release any public statement, merely telling Brazilian media: "We will not make official comments until the facts are clear."

United maintained their silence when Cavallin spoke out publicly for the first time about Antony's behaviour later in June, and when Antony denied the allegations in a post on Instragram later that month. The player went on United's pre-season tour of the United States and started the club's first four matches of the Premier League season. Ten Hag was never asked about Antony by the media.

Even when United faced criticism about their attempt to bring back Greenwood, there was little discussion about Antony. Although the accusations against the Brazilian were in the public domain, the fact that the complaint had been filed in Sao Paulo and not Manchester seemed to shield the player from the scrutiny Greenwood had faced.

And unlike with Greenwood, there was little publicly-available evidence of Antony's misdemeanours. Although fans were aware he was facing accusations, most did not know the details. That allowed United to avoid making any public comment on the player until they released a five-line statement on Wednesday, exactly three months after Cavallin filed her first complaint against Antony.

Cavallin's interview with Brazilian website UOL - released on Monday and containing excruciating detail of three separate, abusive incidents between the DJ and Antony - blew the case wide open.

Cavallin told UOL she was first assaulted by Antony on June 1 2022, while she was pregnant and on holiday in Brazil. She claimed Antony, who was then at Ajax, put her in a car, attacked her and threatened to throw her from the moving vehicle at speed.

"He said that if I didn't stay with him, I wouldn't stay with anyone. I told him that I was pregnant, that he was scaring me, making my heart race. I was shaking with fear," Cavallin said.

The DJ also alleged that in January 2023 Antony headbutted her and dislocated one of her breast implants. She also claimed that in May 2023 he locked her in a house after throwing a glass at her, which led to cutting her finger down to the bone.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed later on Monday it was making enquiries into the case. Still, there was no response from United. There was plenty of reaction from elsewhere, however.

"The world is watching Manchester United to see how one of the biggest clubs responds to these latest reports of domestic abuse," said Andrea Simon, director of End Violence Against Women Coalition.

"We once again call on the Premier League and FA to take meaningful action as it is clear that these are not incidents they can take in isolation, but part of a pattern of behaviour within a culture that enables footballers to perpetrate violence against women with impunity."

Refuge, meanwhile, lamented the way clubs had dealt with previous cases of abuse.

"Refuge is deeply concerned by the number of domestic abuse allegations involving high profile sports figures, such as footballers, that have been emerging in the media over the last few months, and the responses that clubs have had to these," said Tracy Blackwell, director of strategic insights and partnerships.

"It is important that the FA, Premier League and clubs make it clear to their fans that they do not condone any forms of violence against women and girls. Domestic abuse is a crime and should be treated as such. Swift action needs to be taken to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to abuse and address this culture of violence against women and girls within football."

United eventually put their short, vague statement out a day after the charities' firm response and stopped short of suspending Antony from training or matches. Antony has been dropped from Brazil's upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to the allegations but It is still not known whether he will be lining up against Brighton in United's next match on September 16.

No one envies the situation United are in. A source told GOAL United have been advised to proceed cautiously on the basis that police enquiries are taking place in both Brazil and the UK, and innocent unless proven guilty remains an important principle in both jurisdictions.

The source added that the club was taking the allegations seriously and have listened and taken learnings from criticism of their handling of the Greenwood case, including seeking external expert advice from Women’s Aid and the PFA.

United are also not the only team to have struggled to navigate a troubling accusation against one of their players. Benjamin Mendy played for Manchester City after being questioned about rape allegations and was only suspended when he was charged in August 2021, a few days after playing against Tottenham. Mendy was found not guilty in July of one count of rape and one count of attempted rape, having been found not guilty of six counts of rape in January.

An unnamed Premier League player was arrested in relation to a rape accusation in July 2022 before being released on bail and was interviewed in February of this year under caution. He played the entirety of last season for his club and has also featured this campaign.

More leadership is needed from United, and football in general. Celebrity United fan Rachel Riley, who had vowed to stop supporting the club if they reintegrated Greenwood, said after details of the allegations against Antony emerged: "Is anyone doing any due diligence on these players? Heinous stuff described in these accusations. This time domestic abuse experts need to be involved in the club’s processes."

United speaking to Women's Aid is a step in the right direction but they need to do more. They cannot predict which players may go on to misbehave when they sign them, especially when they are children or teenagers. But they can make educating their young players about consent a cornerstone of their academy programme.

Club leaders should also be more accountable. United chief executive Richard Arnold released a statement after finally reaching a decision on Greenwood, but he should have held a press conference to explain what happened. The club's hugely unpopular owners, the Glazers, as throughout their 18-year reign, have been absent from this most important of discussions.

The Premier League and the FA should also devise a plan for what to do when a serious allegation is made against a player. It is understandable that clubs are reluctant to cut loose players worth in the region of £100 m ($125m) over one allegation, but the issues of domestic and sexual violence are too important to be left to clubs.