On 23 August, Getafe president Angel Torres had something to say. Following Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss on the lips of striker Jenni Hermoso, that caused a wave of protest against misogyny in Spanish football and culture, Torres stated that the RFEF president could not stay in his job “for one more minute”. No crime had been proven, but we had seen the visual evidence. To do anything else would be to send an unacceptable message to women about the treatment of abuse.
Fast forward less than a fortnight and Getafe, Torres’ fiefdom, were announcing the signing of Mason Greenwood on loan from Manchester United. No crime had been proven and Greenwood denied the allegations made against him, but we had seen the visual evidence, although this was never tested in court.
Torres reasoned that without being proven guilty, signing Greenwood was fair game. The unacceptable message to women about the treatment of abuse? Silencio.
On Tuesday, Getafe hosted a training session at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez and invited supporters to attend. As three new loan signings – Greenwood, Oscar and Diego Rico – left the pitch, a group rushed to the front of the stand to ask for a shirt and demand selfies. Oscar and Diego Rico look a little lost. It is not them who the supporters have come to froth over.
Getafe are not idiots; let’s rule out ignorance and it would be no defence anyway. They know that they are not the natural home for an England international from Manchester United. They know that other clubs rejected the chance to sign Greenwood out of hand. They know too that there will be a reaction: there was no usual press conference in which new signings are asked questions by journalists.
They are also issuing inaccurate statements, deliberately or otherwise, which follows Greenwood’s own inaccuracies when he claimed in August that he was “cleared of all charges” – he wasn’t although it is true the case never went to trial. Sporting director Ruben Reyes stressed that “It has already been said by the person who had to say it, who is a judge and is the absolute maximum authority”, but that is categorically not true. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case, in part down to the withdrawal of key witnesses.
Greenwood has not been banned from playing football; that is not the argument here. Any club is allowed to employ him; no argument there. But neither does Greenwood have a right to be employed by any club, and any potential employer thus had to make a moral choice. Getafe have made their call and they have made it obvious.
But even then, there is an extended question of moral decency. It is one thing to decide that you want to do a deal with Manchester United for the professional rehabilitation of a player (to clarify: I’d hate it if my club did so and can envisage that a majority of readers feel the same about theirs), but, having made that call, you must appreciate that there will be a backlash. As part of your decision, you must face that backlash.
Getafe have chosen the opposite course. They have not simply signed Greenwood and quietly focused on making this work. They are revelling in the notoriety that has followed. A selection of posts from their official X (Twitter) account since last week: “Awesome fan reception, @masongreenwood”; “The look on your face when @masongreenwood gives you his jersey”; “The STAR BOY!” “EVERYONE KNOWS HIS QUALITY”.
That particularly distasteful element of the signing has another element. Getafe bargained with followers that they would post a picture of Greenwood in his new shirt when a tweet hit 2,000 likes (it is currently at 47,000 likes). Their new English language account, which now has over 37,000 followers, posted on Tuesday: “We love you, @masongreenwood”. That account was only created two days before Greenwood’s signing and has been plugged by the official club account ever since. If this is just a coincidence, it is a significant one. They are using the controversy as a marketing tool and it stinks.
Following the rise in notoriety afforded to Getafe by Greenwood’s arrival, Reyes had another message for the club’s supporters: “It is a satisfaction to give this joy to the people.” But who are these people? Reports on the ground in Spain suggest that many Getafe supporters have no concept of the intricacies of Greenwood’s case, which did not get extensive coverage in the country. If your club president and sporting director tell you something (provably wrong), you are inclined to believe it.
Instead, there is one place where Greenwood remains immensely popular. In the replies and quotes to each of Getafe’s posts on the subject, there is a fever of pro-Greenwood support. These are similar to those who insisted that Manchester United must take him back and it is a hivemind of toxic masculinity and moral abandonment in favour of football fame. These are Getafe’s new followers – they have become Andrew Tate FC.
Morality was suspended in this corner of Madrid. Getafe have ignored the pocket of protests, ignored the advice of domestic abuse charities and failed to follow the lead of every club in Europe who reasoned that championing a person whose allegedly grim behaviour became so public sold short every other victim of abuse.
Getafe took a stand when their relationship with the abuser was merely administrative. And then they decided that goals and social buzz mattered more when they saw their opportunity to shortcut their way to both. The people glorifying Greenwood are now their own and Getafe have welcomed them with open arms. That must now be their legacy.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ZEKlLeT
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