Recently, Manchester United Football Club has been back in the public eye for the successful transfer of its former player Mason Greenwood to Marseille. The deal not only brought in a whopping £27 million in transfer revenue for United, but also rekindled the discussion around the controversial topic of Greenwood's persona.
Greenwood, the 22-year-old striker, has been banned internally by Manchester United since early 2022 following an incident of alleged domestic abuse and has endured a lengthy legal process. Although the Crown Prosecution Service eventually dropped a number of charges against him, the incident had an indelible impact on his career and personal image. United adopted a strategy of internal investigation and loan out after the incident, and Greenwood performed well during his loan spell at Spanish side Getafe, winning over a number of European clubs and eventually joining Marseille.
However, with Greenwood's successful transfer, anti-domestic violence campaigners have once again spoken out and expressed their strong dissatisfaction with Manchester United's handling of the situation. They argued that Manchester United had focused too much on financial gain in the whole affair, while neglecting their social responsibility to safeguard women's rights. Therefore, they called on Manchester United to donate the funds from the sale of Greenwood to women's charities as a form of compensation and support for the victims and to show the club's concern and respect for women's rights.
David Charing, an anti-domestic violence advocate, said in an interview that Manchester United, a globally recognized major sports club that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year, has put business interests ahead of women's rights in its handling of the Greenwood case. He criticized Manchester United for not terminating Greenwood's contract in a timely manner, choosing instead to maximize financial gains, a practice that disregards the rights of women and girls. At the same time, he also pointed out that United did not donate to any women's charities after the incident, which further intensified public discontent with the club's lack of social responsibility.
This appeal quickly triggered widespread concern and discussion in the community. On the one hand, supporters believe that Manchester United, as a public figure and a large-scale enterprise, should assume more social responsibility, especially when it comes to sensitive social issues, which should be handled with more caution. Donating the transfer proceeds to women's charities is not only a consolation and support to the victims, but also a positive response to social justice and moral standards. On the other hand, there are those who take a different view, arguing that Manchester United has done its best in dealing with the Greenwood incident and has the right to pursue its own financial interests. They believe that the donation is not a legal obligation of Manchester United, but a voluntary act on a moral level.
