Mason Greenwood: Manchester United have a very straightforward conclusion to make, but are making it difficult
“He does what he wants, Mason Greenwood, he does what he wants.”
If Manchester United permits their disgraced assailant to return to the team, the aforementioned will become a reality for some.
When this chant or something similar occurs on the ground, there will be resistance. On social media, it will be seized by those who have spent months incorporating his defense into their identities.
When I and others my age began to follow football, there was a need to lad-it-up a bit in order to feel at home. Even in the 1990s, attending matches was not a sterile experience, and that was great.
There was no desire to arrive and thoroughly sanitize everything. You adapt to your environment and guffaw at jokes you would otherwise find, to put it mildly, awkward.
But it was never dangerous. As I adapted my behavior to blend in with the guys, so did they to ensure that we didn’t cross the line.
With the advent of social media and the anonymity it provides, many no longer feel the need to adapt. They can take the worst of their opinions and purposefully exaggerate them to create an impact that the overwhelming majority of people would avoid if they encountered them in person.
Possibly regrettably, social media does not exist in a vacuum. What is said there has an effect on what occurs in person and particularly influences young people. What was once left unsaid or at least moderated is now a means of gaining attention.
The Mason Greenwood situation and its duration have generated an abundance of material. It is not difficult to imagine the impact on younger generations’ respect for women when we observe middle-aged fathers, and even grandfathers, proudly parading their daughters in their profile pictures and then defending the Manchester United player with increasingly bizarre arguments.
Many of these men would be the first to inform anyone that they would gladly ‘do time’ if even a single hair on their child was harmed.
Then again, there are your women and those others.
Should Manchester United Football Club welcome him back, these individuals will feel their positions have been somewhat vindicated. They could issue press releases, discuss rehabilitation, and boast about their efforts to turn the situation around, but the message will be plain.
There is no simple path out of this situation, but they have made it as difficult as possible for themselves. The dribble-dribble of leaks regarding a potential decision gave the appearance of a business attempting to create the simplest ground for them to avoid moral responsibility and, worse, abdicate the decision to someone else.
That concludes the most recent briefing. Manchester United has informed their preferred press personnel that they wish to consult with their women’s team but must wait until the conclusion of the World Cup.
This message was indeed relayed exactly as they desired, without any significant criticism from those responsible for its transmission. Nonetheless, it was obvious to anyone with a functioning intellect what would transpire.
The Greenwood Legion would target and exert pressure on these women. In a scenario that began with the documented abuse of a woman, concluding it with additional abuse of women completes the circle.
During the World Cup, Manchester United players received messages such as “we are watching you.”
This particular message caught my attention due to its menacing nature. So I reached out to the sender, who – and this will shock you – lacked the courage to respond.
Targeting women on the Internet is a breeze, and Greenwood’s circumstance has provided fertile ground for those who wish to do so.
Much of this contains a clue that points to the motivations of the Greenwood Legion. Before all of this transpired, he was questioned by a great number of the most zealous of the young soldiers.
They have transformed someone in whom they had lingering doubts into the next Lionel Messi. A player who has not played since January 2022 against West Ham is presented as an imperative necessity for the upcoming season.
Greenwood is merely a vehicle for them; their primary concern is with women. It would be dishonest to ignore the fact that many of those involved originate from countries where women are not accorded the same respect as in the United Kingdom.
Not only is addressing misogyny unfashionable, but addressing misogyny when it could lead to accusations of bigotry is even less desirable. It is undoubtedly terrifying to fight back against this, as we all witnessed during the World Cup in Qatar.
We were instructed to respect other cultures, regardless of whether they are misogynistic and homophobic. However, this desire for respect is not reciprocal.
The fact that Greenwood has not been convicted in a court of law is used as a wedge to introduce this argument.
Less than one percent of rape cases reported in the United Kingdom end in conviction. Unless we want to believe – and some will undoubtedly want to believe – that thousands of women are simply making things up, it is nearly impossible to successfully prosecute cases of sexual abuse.
The fact that the woman involved is still his companion is a further argument.
The National Domestic Abuse Hotline reports that survivors who are still able to do so return to their abusive partners an average of seven times before leaving for good.
Perhaps the strongest argument presented by the Greenwood Legion is that other football players accused of similar offenses did not exhibit the same level of vigor. That is accurate to a certain extent, but the glaring exception is what we all saw and heard, which is etched in our recollections and gives people the opportunity to realize what actually occurs and form their own, informed opinion.
We are where we are, with what we have.
No one on either side of the divide will change their mind in the near future.
Now it’s Manchester United’s turn.
The delays and attempts to avoid culpability must cease. Before this event, they had significant concerns about Greenwood’s character, which they were able to overcome due to the talent involved.
Even on a strictly football premise, this player has not played in the last 18 months.
Someone who would be harassed by opposition supporters at every conceivable opportunity, and for good reason.
A person who would be a massive distraction for the remainder of his career with the club, accumulating negative front-page coverage as rapidly as he appeared on the back.
Take it off the field, but not too far, and Manchester United must consider what they truly represent to the fans who have packed Old Trafford for generations.
Those in the audience who have experienced physical or sexual abuse at the hands of a partner.
Those who realize they have little chance of being convicted even if they try.
Those who are still experiencing it.
If the club does not care what occurs off the field, then the decision is simple. Unfortunately, Manchester United does not appear to have it so easy.
Mason Greenwood: Manchester United have a very straightforward conclusion to make, but are making it difficult