Sarah Kelly and her 14-year-old autistic son Jacob Harding had just watched their first match in the Premier League together, when Ronaldo appeared to ring Jacob’s phone on the ground as he left the pitch. Ronaldo publicly apologized later Saturday for “my outburst,” which included an invitation to Old Trafford to “this fan,” but Sarah says she and her son had not heard anything personally from the club or player. He says Jacob could not sleep on Saturday night, that his phone was broken and that he was suffering from pain inside his thumb, as well as obvious bruises on his hand. Jacob has dyspraxia as well as autism and thus struggles with some fine motor skills, such as holding a pen or buttoning buttons and zippers. “Apologizing or not apologizing was what made me even angrier,” said Sarah. I thought, “How rude – you tell everyone that you apologized and did not ask.” Okay, you posted it on social media, but … you have to apologize to my son. “He [Ronaldo] he had several hours to think about it. He should have known our contact details; it was confidential, he said he had spoken to us and posted something. I would be happy with that. ” Sarah spoke to the Telegraph Sport on Sunday, almost 24 hours after the incident, and a representative of Ronaldo and Manchester United then contacted them. “As the players left the pitch at 2.30pm, it was reported that a boy had been attacked by one of the visitors,” said a Merseyside police spokesman. The Football Federation will also investigate. In a statement, Ronaldo said: “It is never easy to deal with emotions in difficult times. However, we must always respect, be patient and set an example for all young people. “I would like to apologize for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this fan to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of good fighting and athleticism.”
