(CNN) — An incident involving a fan’s cell phone and Cristiano Ronaldo after the defeat of Manchester United 1-0 in the Premier League against Everton on Saturday prompted a police investigation and an apology from the Portuguese international soccer star.
In a video posted on social media, the 37-year-old Portuguese striker is shown limping off the field at Goodison Park before bending down and slamming the phone out of the hands of a young fan.
Merseyside Police said they were in contact with both clubs regarding “reports of an assault” after the match.
“As the players were leaving the field of play at 2:30 p.m., it was reported that a boy was assaulted by one of the visiting team members as they were leaving the field,” the statement said.
“Investigations are ongoing and officers are currently working with Everton Football Club to review security camera footage and are conducting extensive witness investigations to establish whether an offense occurred.”
A Merseyside Police spokesman told CNN on Monday that an update on the incident will be issued shortly, once more information has been gathered.
“It’s never easy to manage emotions in difficult times”
Ronaldo apologized for his “outburst” and offered to take the fan to a match at Old Trafford in a message posted on instagram Saturday.
The loss to relegation-battling Everton dealt another major blow to United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season, leaving them seventh in the Premier League and six points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur.
The loss at Goodison Park dealt a serious blow to Ronaldo and United’s hopes of finishing in the top four.
–
“It is never easy to manage emotions in difficult times like the one we are experiencing,” Ronaldo said.
“However, you always have to be respectful, patient and set an example for all the young people who love this beautiful sport.”
“I would like to apologize for my outburst and, if possible, would like to invite this fan to watch a match at Old Trafford as a show of fair play and sportsmanship.”
An Everton spokesman told CNN that the club was attempting to contact the boy’s mother to invite them to the club’s next home game, a league match against Leicester City on April 20.
The invitation was “to reiterate to the boy that incidents like this are not the norm at football games and hopefully give him a positive memory of visits to Goodison Park,” the spokesman added.
Manchester United declined to comment on the incident, pointing to CNN’s apology posted by Ronaldo on social media.
–
:format(jpg):focal(545x372:555x362):watermark(cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/AUNLS2PQH5H3RP72VQ7AL72C4I.png,0,30,0,100)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/424XR42Q55AZ3CAR4ZN5SJBOYY.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
