Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has expressed his lack of concern regarding Mason Greenwood’s past and voiced his desire to see the on-loan Getafe forward extend his career in Spain.
Greenwood joined Getafe on loan from Manchester United last September, following the announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service that criminal proceedings against him over an alleged attempted rape had been dropped seven months prior.
Prior to this, Greenwood had been suspended by United, and his trial was scheduled for November.
Despite these circumstances, Greenwood has been well received at his temporary club, having scored five goals in Spain’s top flight. Tebas is eager to see him continue his career in La Liga for the foreseeable future.
“I’m a lawyer,” he said, speaking at the Financial Times business of football summit. “For someone who has come out of a legal case innocent, there’s nothing to say.
I think it’s good because he’s another great player. Maybe the circumstances have made it easier for him to come, but he’s a great player and I have no other comments to make.
“He’s doing really well at Getafe as a player and I hope he continues to be successful and continues to stay in Spanish football, because that’s always good for us. When someone isn’t condemned, what should we have done? This is what courts exist for. It is not up to me to know his case in detail. He is just another player.”
Asked about an investigation being conducted into Jude Bellingham after the Real Madrid player was alleged to have called Greenwood a “rapist” during a match on February 1, Tebas said, “La Liga investigated Bellingham and let’s see what happens. It is not the first time we have done a lip-reading investigation and maybe he didn’t say what we think.”
Tebas’s responses revealed a misunderstanding regarding Greenwood’s legal status.
Greenwood was cleared of the charges after the CPS dropped them, citing the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence, which led to the conclusion that there was no longer a realistic chance of conviction by a jury.