Antony, the Brazilian winger, has taken a proactive step to counter allegations brought against him by 33-year-old Brazilian banker, Ingrid Lana. The Manchester United player opted to share their WhatsApp conversation on social media as part of his defense.
Antony chose Instagram as the platform to disclose the WhatsApp exchanges between himself and Lana, using his stories to address the accusations of abuse leveled against him during an appearance by Lana on the Brazilian TV show Domingo Espetacular.
A translation of the messages, facilitated by VAR Tatico on social media, reveals a seemingly friendly interaction between Antony and Lana. Their exchanges include elements of flirtation and affection, with heart emoticons.
Notably, Antony had engaged in a video call with Lana and had previously sent voice notes expressing concern about her taking screenshots of their conversations, which he viewed as a breach of trust.
🚨 Antony shares portions of his conversation with Ingrid Lana (33), one of the women who accused him of assault.
Translated to English by @vartatico
Antony: Anything you say, he’ll come along.
Ingrid: If you want, I’ll wait for you n*ked in bed.
Antony: Sounds good, darling.… pic.twitter.com/amPoUXDZ7B
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) September 11, 2023
In the conversations shared by Antony, it appears that Lana took the initiative in pursuing a romantic and intimate relationship with him. Her messages included statements like “Talk to me, can’t I have your photo so I can get wet (excited) here?” – suggestive of her intentions.
Antony’s decision to share these conversations directly responds to Lana’s allegations, which she made on national television. In her interview, Lana claimed that Antony had forcibly pushed her against a wall after attempting to kiss her.
She maintained that she had not wanted to engage in the kiss, resulting in Antony pushing her into the wall, causing her head to make contact.
Antony countered these allegations in his Instagram stories, characterizing the encounter as a ‘single consensual meeting.’ He concluded his response by stating, “This matter with this fraudster will be resolved in court.”
Antony’s statement to the Brazilian outlet – Globo
In addition to sharing their WhatsApp conversations on social media, Antony has issued a separate statement to Globo, a prominent Brazilian media outlet. In this statement, Antony offers his perspective on the interactions with Ingrid.
According to Antony’s account, he engaged in conversations with Ingrid on WhatsApp. During her visit to Portugal to attend her cousin’s birthday celebration, she purportedly expressed a desire to travel to Manchester to meet Antony, with explicit intentions of engaging in an intimate encounter.
Antony mentioned that she even inquired about his preference for lingerie, specifically asking whether he favored red or white.
🚨✍️ Antony’s statement:
“I talked to Ingrid on WhatsApp. When she went to Portugal to attend her cousin’s birthday, she asked to come here to Manchester to meet me, with a clear intention of meeting me intimately, including asking me if I preferred red or white lingerie. I… pic.twitter.com/3gg1RA2bvf
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) September 11, 2023
Antony asserts that he proceeded to purchase a plane ticket and book a hotel for Ingrid, and the two had what he describes as a consensual meeting. However, he maintains that due to scheduling conflicts, he was unable to meet with her again, as she subsequently returned to Brazil.
Antony contends that he can substantiate his claims with the entire WhatsApp conversation, which he intends to present in court as evidence supporting his innocence.
Influencer Rayssa de Freitas also made allegations against Antony
In addition to the accusations made by Ingrid Lana and her former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, another woman, Rayssa de Freitas, has come forward with allegations against Manchester United winger Antony.
Rayssa de Freitas, an influencer and law student, claims to have been assaulted by Antony and another woman in May 2022. Reports from Brazilian publication Extra indicate that the incident was severe enough to necessitate hospital treatment, and Rayssa reported the matter to the police in São Paulo.
The Telegraph brought these allegations to light and sought comments from Antony’s representatives regarding the matter. Regrettably, Antony was unable to provide a comment. However, Telegraph Sport has reported that the winger vehemently denies these allegations.
Gabriella Cavallin’s case isn’t the first accusation against Antony. A police report from May 2022 made by Rayssa de Freitas also describes violent behaviour from the #mufc player.
The victim claimed to be physically assaulted by Antony and a woman in a car in São Paulo. She… pic.twitter.com/qV7flofksH
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) September 7, 2023
In the wake of the allegations made by his former girlfriend, Gabriela Cavallin, Antony has been omitted from the Brazilian national squad for the ongoing World Cup qualifiers.
Furthermore, Manchester United recently announced that the winger will be taking an indefinite hiatus from the club while investigations into the allegations are underway.
This situation poses a unique challenge for Manchester United, as they grapple with allegations of domestic abuse involving another right-side forward, following the controversy surrounding Mason Greenwood in 2022.