Sarah Kelly, Mother of 14-year-old autistic boy, Jacob, whose phone was smashed by Cristiano Ronaldo demands justice
The mother of an autistic boy whose phone was smashed by Cristiano Ronaldo wants the FA to give out the ‘right punishment’ to the footballer, insisting that the striker ‘can’t keep getting away’ with his ‘unacceptable behaviour’.
The Football Association charged the Manchester United star earlier this week after revealing footage showed Ronaldo slapping a phone out of 14-year-old Jacob Harding’s hand.
His mother Sarah Kelly, 37, has now urged the governing body to discipline the Portuguese forward appropriately.
‘Let’s hope he finally gets the right punishment,’ she told the Mirror. ‘He can’t keep getting away with it. His behaviour is unacceptable.’
Ronaldo’s explosive behaviour occurred during Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park in April.
She continued: ‘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.’
The FA’s statement on Friday September 23 read: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 for an incident that took place after Manchester United FC’s Premier League match against Everton FC on Saturday 9 April 2022.
‘It is alleged that the forward’s conduct after the final whistle was improper and/or violent.’
A statement from United on Friday read: ‘We note the FA announcement in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo. We will be supporting the player in his response to the charge.’