Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to accept a charge brought by the Football Association in connection with an incident that occurred during Manchester United’s Premier League defeat at Everton in April.
After the FA’s inquiry was restarted in August, United boss Erik ten Hag has clarified Ronaldo’s stance ahead of a hearing.
Everton dealt the Red Devils a further blow to their top-four hopes at the end of last season, winning 1-0 at Goodison Park.
Ronaldo seemed to smack a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand as he left the field for the dressing room after the game, which caused uproar online.
The 37-year-old was cited by the FA for breaking rule E3, which deals with improper and/or aggressive conduct, in response.
In the wake of the incident, he voluntarily went to a police interview, apologized to the fan online, and invited him to an Old Trafford game.
However, speaking ahead of United’s Europa League match against Omonoia on Thursday, Ten Hag disclosed that Ronaldo would not be accepting the FA’s charge despite collaborating with the police in the case.
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He stated to reporters: “You mean from last year? We spoke about that, and he will not accept it.”
The FA’s inquiry is ongoing, though, with Ronaldo showing no intention of accepting his charge.
The investigation won’t affect his availability, and he’s expected to start in the Europa League again when Omonoia visit Old Trafford on matchday four of the competition.
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