Antony claims he was ‘defending’ Manchester United from ‘provocation’ when he celebrated in front of the Coventry City players after the FA Cup semi-final victory at Wembley.
The Brazilian has attracted widespread criticism after he ran in front of the Coventry players and cupped his ears following the penalty shootout win.
Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand called the incident ’embarrassing’ while Graeme Souness says it was not a response befitting of a Manchester United player.
But Antony says his reaction was a ‘natural defence of my club’ and claims the United fans inside Wembley were ‘provoked’ by the Coventry squad.
‘Coventry proved why they reached the semi-final,’ he posted on X. ‘We seeked this spot in the final for our fans and we achieved.
‘The way our fans were treated by their player was not nice and I, in the heat of the moment, reacted to the provocations in a natural defence of my club!’
It is unclear how Coventry are allegedly to have provoked Manchester United but Erik ten Hag echoed Antony’s comments when he discussed the incident for the first time at his pre-Sheffield United press conference on Tuesday.
‘He [Antony] was [provoked] and should not react like this,’ Ten Hag said. ‘You have not seen the provocation, only the reaction, but he should not do it.
‘We should acknowledge the performance of Coventry, coming back at 70 minutes when we dominated the game. The game must be closed, but the comeback from their side was very good.’
More to follow…
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