Plane with sign reading ‘Believe Kathryn Mayorga’ flies over Manchester United stadium
The plane flew overhead to reject the “culture of silence around abuse from the football community”
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo’s second debut for Manchester United saw a banner flown above Old Trafford, offering support to Kathryn Mayorga, who has accused the Portuguese forward of sexual assault.
The feminist group Level Up claimed ownership of the banner and stated they were asking people to “believe” Ms. Mayorga and to “pledge solidarity” with other survivors.
Ms. Mayorga initially said she was assaulted by Ronaldo in 2009, with an out-of-court settlement reached the following year. She is suing the footballer for damages in a civil case in the Nevada courts system.
“We flew a plane over the Man United football ground and our message is simple: Believe Kathryn Mayorga. Let’s say NO to the culture of silence around abuse from the football community. Pledge your solidarity with Kathryn & survivors,” said a social media post from the group.
Ronaldo, who has denied all the allegations against him, started for United against Newcastle and opened the scoring just before half-time and added a second around the hour mark to restore his team’s lead.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments