Photo used with permission from Wiki Commons

Soccer player Mason Greenwood returns to the Euro league despite allegations levied against him.

Manchester United fan Varun Rajesh recalls a moment from last year that will stick with him for ages. He opened up his phone, and then TikTok to peruse as he often does. Stunned, the first video he saw included a blaring audio of his starboy Mason Greenwood sexually assaulting his girlfriend. Today, Varun is shocked that this man is allowed to play football without a second thought.

Greenwood has returned to European football for the Spanish club, Getafe CF after attempted raped charges against him were dropped despite substantial incriminating evidence, which is concerning fans. Former Manchester United player Greenwood was charged with and arrested for attempted rape in January 2022. He was later cleared as all charges were dropped in February 2023, allowing him to return to football just after parting ways with United amid the charges. However, people are suspicious of the ethics and accuracy of the proceedings to convict Greenwood, considering the substantial evidence against him. An audio was released online last year containing the voice of Greenwood coercing a woman into having sex with him, despite her verbally refusing multiple times. People have also become suspicious of the fact that the reason for the clearing of the charges was because the witnesses set to testify against Greenwood withdrew from participating. “There is a possibility of bribery and threatening that could’ve caused said witnesses to withdraw,” sophomore Charlotte Chang said.

Greenwood is currently on loan to Getafe CF from Manchester, so fans are skeptical about a possible return to Manchester United. It is also possible for Gatafe to extend his loan deal for another year to stay in Spain. “I feel as if Manchester United should not allow the young star to return to the club because his innocence has not been proven. The woman has only lifted the charges,” sophomore Kioko Kibua said.

After returning to football for Getafe, Greenwood has been in solid form, racking up two goals and three assists in 10 games for the club in league play. One of these goals was an outside-of-the-box screamer curled into the top left corner that has taken social media by storm in recent days. “I’m not a personal fan of Greenwood, but he is a talented player. He can dribble well and was one of Man United’s brightest players before the charges,” freshman Avinab Das said.

While Getafe has praised Greenwood for his goal on its public Instagram and TikTok accounts, the Spanish league has yet to recognize Greenwood for his recent form on any of its social media accounts. Fans are theorizing that LaLiga may be refraining from posting Greenwood on purpose to avoid controversy given his past, while others think it may be a simple coincidence. “People make theories all the time but rarely are they true,” Das said.

Greenwood’s future is a heavily debated topic within the football community that will continue to affect global football for the foreseeable future. Greenwood’s future is a heavily debated topic within the football community that will continue to affect global football for the foreseeable future.