Richard Arnold was the man who made the final decision about Mason Greenwood's future at United. Credit: Getty Images/Manchester United
To the critics
“Now that we have completed and announced the results of the club's investigation into Mason Greenwood, I want to be direct and open to our fans about the process and the reasons for our decision. It was an internal disciplinary investigation between an employer and an employee that would normally take place out of the public eye. Given the public nature of the allegations and Mason's profile, I acknowledge that this was an unusual situation, but I felt it was important that we continue to follow due process and, as far as possible, avoid media comment until I have made a final decision. “
An explanation from United is long overdue and Arnold makes the point here that he is the one taking responsibility for the decision and not the club's general verdict. Greenwood last played for United on 22 January 2022 in a 1–0 win over West Ham but remained on full pay.
Allegations of attempted rape and assault on the 21-year-old former England international were dropped on 2 February 2023, but a reputational crisis erupted after reports last week that United were preparing to keep the player.
p>Complex process< p>“When audio recordings and images were posted online in January 2022, I felt shock and concern for the alleged victim. Since then, her well-being, wishes and views have been central to the club's approach, as have the club's standards and values. Although we immediately came to the conclusion that Mason should be removed from work during the investigation, we also recognized our duty to care for him and the importance of making an informed decision. Until February of this year, this was done by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. It wasn't until the charges were dropped that the club discussed the charges with Mason and others in the case. Our investigation sought to collect as much evidence as possible in order to establish facts and context. It was not a quick or easy process for a variety of reasons.”
Arnold emphasizes here that the disciplinary process only began in February, when the charges were dropped. Emphasizing that the club was busy collecting “full information”, Arnold lays the groundwork here to explain why the internal investigation, in his opinion, had no basis for terminating Greenwood's contract.
However, women's rights activists disagreed with the statement emphasizing the “duty of care” towards Greenwood. “Hundreds of players drop out of the game each year without even thinking about it,” said Jamie Klingler, co-founder of Reclaim These Streets.
Accepting the Greenwood account
“It was important for us to respect the rights and wishes of the alleged victim. In addition, we have limited investigative powers, which meant we were dependent on the cooperation of a third party. The timing was also influenced by my desire to minimize the impact of the investigation on our male and female teams, as well as our Lionesses. I admit that this gave more time for speculation, but the alternative would be a breach of due process or an untimely disruption. While we were unable to access some of the evidence for reasons we respect, the evidence we compared led us to conclude that Mason did not commit the acts of which he was accused.
Given the admission that United's trials “failed to gain access to certain evidence”, Arnold's conclusion that “Mason did not commit the acts of which he was accused” came as a surprise to some. “They said they were satisfied that he did not commit the criminal offenses he was accused of,” wrote Adam Wagner, an attorney at Doughty Street Chambers Law Offices. “This is a serious allegation based on a disciplinary investigation.”
Arnold concluded that Greenwood had not committed the acts incriminated to him. Photo: News Group Newspapers Ltd/Mark Robinson
Arnold's words suggest that United failed to question the alleged victim directly. He also suggests that he was slow to clarify his position in response to critical reports in recent days, because he did not want to divert attention from the England World Cup final in Australia.
Alternative explanation
“I am limited in what I can say for legal reasons, including the alleged victim's continued right to anonymity, but I can share the following with you, which should give you some idea of the complexity of this case: the police will drop the investigation in April 2022; We were given alternative explanations for the audio recording, which was a short excerpt from a much longer recording, and images posted online; The alleged victim's family participated in the process and were given the opportunity to review and correct our factual findings.”
Arnold's statement leaves more questions than answers. However, United are clarifying for the first time that the content of the entry is more extensive than previously thought. The sources emphasize that the recording played a relatively minor role in the eventual police investigation of the case.
However, Arnold's words suggest that the alleged victim's family backs United's claim. The alleged victim's mother is believed to have assisted United in the investigation.
Reintegration plan denied
“Last week, the media reported that we had decided to reintegrate Mason and that elements of a plan to do so had been leaked to them. Reintegration was one of the outcomes that we considered and planned. For context, several deliverables have been considered and planned over the past six months, and my perspective has changed as our process has progressed. Although the final decision was mine, I took into account various factors and points of view up to the point of making the final decision.”
Arnold is trying to refute the inevitable suggestion that United are making a U-turn. It was reported last week that Arnold had told United's senior management that the club was planning to bring Greenwood back. Subsequent reports claimed that United were about to turn around by removing the striker due to backlash from a portion of the fans.
Sources stress that the plot to let him play for United again was just one of “several possible outcomes”.
Greenwood made mistakes
“While I am satisfied that Mason did not commit the acts of which he was accused, Mason admitted that he made mistakes for which he takes responsibility. I am also aware that Mason will have to face the challenge of rebuilding his career and raising a child with his partner under the scrutiny of Manchester United. In addition, this case has generated strong opinions, and it is my duty to minimize any distraction to the unity that we strive for in the club.”
If Greenwood is innocent, it's unclear what Arnold means by “mistakes.” Several sources told Telegraph Sport that he would have been fired immediately had the club not believed his story. “There's an admission that he's made 'mistakes', but what does he mean,” Wagner added on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “If there is an alternative, innocent explanation for information in the public domain, the club can publish it. If not, why was it planned to reintegrate it?”
Possible way back?
“While we have decided that Mason will be looking to rebuild his career away from Manchester United, this does not mean that the case is over. The club will continue to offer their support to both the alleged victim and Mason to help them recover and move forward in their lives.”
This closing statement does not rule out a return to United in a few years. will come if Greenwood can rebuild his career. Sources are currently insisting that there are no plans to bring Greenwood back in the short term. He will not return to Carrington but will remain on full pay while United help find a move for him as the club believe they have no reason to terminate his contract.
However, activists like Klingler are frustrated by the lack of any mention of United's commitment to women's rights in the statement. “Greenwood and Manchester United were actively trying to promote this new version of him instead of dealing with the trauma he caused his partner and the fact that every three days in the UK a man kills a woman; most of them are in situations of domestic violence,” she says.
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