A spy or a doormat? Antony and the role of player care officials

April 20, 2024

Manchester United’s handling of the Mason Greenwood case led to intense scrutiny of the club’s duty of care towards its players and how they respond to allegations of assault against women. The accusations made against Antony by three women have only intensified that spotlight.

Antony has strongly denied all the claims and told a Brazilian TV channel: “I have never and I never will (attack a woman)… I am 100 per cent sure that I have never touched a woman. And I will come with the proof. People will see the truth.”

“As a club, we condemn acts of violence and abuse,” said Manchester United in a statement after it emerged Antony would stay away from the club “until further notice” in light of the allegations made against him. “We recognise the importance of safeguarding all those involved in this situation and acknowledge the impact these allegations have on survivors of abuse.”

One of the accusers, Antony’s former girlfriend, Gabriela Cavallin, claims he punched her in the breast during an argument in a hotel room at the Manchester Hyatt Regency in January, causing damage to her silicone implant and a head wound. The incident has been reported to Greater Manchester Police.

Cavallin told Brazilian broadcaster Report TV that she was provided with medical assistance after the incident via Antony’s links with Manchester United. She named a “Daniele” — senior player welfare officer Daniele Bertoli — who arranged for Cavallin to be seen by a private doctor. Cavallin said in one interview that Bertoli “was responsible” for sending two doctors to treat her.

Antony gave an interview to SBT in Brazil

A source familiar with the incident — who, like others in this article, will remain anonymous to protect relationships — says Antony sent Bertoli messages asking for help rather than speaking to him on the phone, and Bertoli did not visit the hotel himself.

United say they only learned of Cavallin’s accusations when she did her first TV interview in June and Antony’s request for medical assistance had no suggestion that there was any violence involved.

The club’s position is unequivocal. “Any suggestion that the club covered up these allegations is categorically false,” United said in a statement.

With the details of what happened that night being disputed, the role of the club’s welfare officer and what they or a doctor should pass back to clubs if they have safeguarding concerns becomes key.

Clubs like Manchester United employ player care personnel who are often the first point of contact if a footballer or their family needs some help. They often receive requests from players, in particular those from foreign countries unfamiliar with UK systems and processes, to help provide support for friends or family. It might be about healthcare but it could also be about something more menial, such as where a player should buy furniture for his new home or what to buy a girlfriend for Christmas.

Player care officials have a duty of care to the players or to anyone affected by an incident, but also to the club that employs them.

Private doctors are not unusual in football, either. A trip to A&E is off the cards for most players and their families and, as a doctor who has also worked with international teams explained, most club doctors can only treat the players, not their family members. Often a player’s private health cover — obtained via the club — will cover the cost of any treatment.

After Cavallin had been seen by a doctor, should Antony’s messages, or the fact a doctor was required to attend his hotel room to treat his girlfriend, have been flagged to anyone more senior at Manchester United or another care provider?

“This all depends on what was communicated at the time,” says one player care official. “Whether it’s simply that he (Antony) has said ‘My girlfriend is ill or unwell can you help with a doctor’ or a different story.”

“If (the player care official) suspected anything, you would be obliged to disclose it (to the club),” says the club doctor.

One head of player care also highlighted the importance of players feeling comfortable asking for help. “The danger is if you put too many checks and balances in place, then players may not use it at all,” they say.

If anyone working for United had any suspicion that Antony had harmed Cavallin, they would have been obliged to report the incident internally to their own safeguarding lead and to the Premier League within 24 hours.

“When harm or abuse is disclosed to you, your role is to report the basic facts to the safeguarding team or statutory services,” say Manchester United’s safeguarding guidelines. “The disclosure may be sudden with a lot of information provided, or a statement may be made which hints at an abusive situation or you may identify patterns of behaviour or signs which give you cause for concern.”

United say they first knew of Cavallin’s allegations in June after her TV interview and it is not known if a report was submitted. The Premier League does not comment on individual cases but is known to closely monitor club’s safeguarding practices, which includes how they deal with the management of allegations.

Antony last played for United at Arsenal on September 3 (Botterill/Getty Images)

If a welfare officer or doctor ever has safeguarding concerns in any situation, then doing the right thing while also having to wrestle with the prospect of reputational damage is challenging.

“That club-versus-player balance is so important because if you’re too far on the club side, you’re seen as a spy,” player care consultant Hugo Scheckter explains. “If you’re too far on the player side, you’re seen as a doormat.”

Another player care official says the way in which individuals deal with difficult situations differs significantly depending on their frames of reference and moral stance.

“If I am dealing with a potential or suspected safeguarding situation and they say ‘don’t tell anyone, don’t involve anyone’, it’s not straightforward and you have to follow strict legal protocols in terms of safeguarding. You have to protect not just that person but anyone involved, and yourself.

“If a club says ‘we need to make sure this doesn’t come out’ and ignore the alleged victim, then the player care role would be left in a very difficult situation. You don’t always get situations right; we’re all fallible.”

Any private doctor would be bound by strict medical confidentiality and would take a phased approach to dealing with any potential safeguarding issue.

“I would aim to manage the case with that patient’s consent,” explains a doctor who works outside of football. “If I have any concerns about a patient’s safety, I would talk it through with that person and give them advice about abuse or other appropriate helplines and provisions. I would discuss referral to the safeguarding team and aim to obtain consent to do this.

“But sometimes you have to raise a safeguarding concern without consent, for example if someone else may be at risk, if a crime may have been committed, to prevent harm, or the person does not have capacity to make that decision.”

There would be no obligation for the medical practitioner to report anything back to any club owing to strict patient-client confidentiality — whether the club paid for the doctor or not.

“You can’t break medical confidentiality; it’s so rare that you have any scope to do that,” explains a Premier League doctor. “You wouldn’t (report back) to people paying the bill.”

With the claims against Antony coming so soon after United were criticised for their handling of Greenwood’s return to football, the club and the wider game have been urged to examine how they handle such allegations while respecting and supporting the complainants involved. United have already called on external advice from women’s rights organisation Women’s Aid and the Professional Footballers’ Association, the players’ union.

“It takes a village to raise a child and in these cases the village is football,” says Sue Parris, welfare expert and founder of The Changing Room, an online community for footballers. “A lot of the time, these players are not with their families because football has taken them away from their families. You’re developing players and want the glory, but what you see on the pitch is only the tip of the iceberg.”

(Top photo: Darren Staples /AFP via Getty Images)

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