THE mum of an autistic boy who had his phone smashed by Cristiano Ronaldo has pleaded with the FA not to let him ‘get away with it’.
The Man United forward was filmed appearing to slap young Jacob Harding’s hand after his side were defeated by Everton at Goodison Park in April.
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Ronaldo was charged with breaching FA rules after he smashed the boy’s to the ground after losing to 1-0 to Everton.
His mum Sarah, 37, says she’s had “six months of hell” after Ronaldo fans turned on her.
She told the Mirror: “Let’s hope he finally gets the right punishment. He can’t keep getting away with it. His behaviour is unacceptable.”
Ronaldo later apologised to the 14-year-old but was interviewed by police under caution in relation to an alleged assault and criminal damage last month.
She added: “I’m being hounded by people saying I’m dragging it up again but I didn’t know anything about it.
“He should have been dealt with six months ago. My son talks about what happened to him every day. He still hasn’t had his phone back.”
Merseyside Police paid to have the phone repaired, but Sarah believes it should have been up to the star player.
Sarah, of Upton, Merseyside, added: “He should have paid for that. He’s the one who caused all this.
“It baffles me – he can assault a child and carry on as normal. How can he sleep at night knowing the distress he has caused to a young fan?”
Sarah said Ronaldo hadn’t apologised to her or her son.
She said: “He offered us to meet him and said he was sorry but said he had done nothing wrong. That’s not an apology, that’s an insult.”
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said Jacob’s phone needed to be fixed while the investigation took place.
A spokesman added: “The phone was kept until the conclusion of the investigation and will be returned shortly.”
Ronaldo was charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 for an incident that took place after Manchester United FC’s Premier League match against Everton on Saturday 9 April 2022.
They said: “It is alleged that the forward’s conduct after the final whistle was improper and/or violent.”
The FA Rule E3 states “a participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game”.
It adds they shall not act “in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute”.
They should also not use “any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour”.
‘DIDN’T SET AN EXAMPLE’
Jacob’s mum, Sarah Kelly, spoke out about the incident at the time, telling how Ronaldo had phoned her to apologise.
She said she wanted to see justice “because there hasn’t been any”.
And her son Jacob told The Mirror: “I looked up to him but he didn’t set an example that day.”
In a post online after the incident, Ronaldo said: “It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing.
“Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.
“I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship.”
Responding to the FA charge, a spokesperson for Manchester United said: “We note the FA announcement in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo.
“We will be supporting the player in his response to the charge.”
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