New Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi has issued an apology to “those who I offended” regarding comments made about Mason Greenwood during his time in charge of Marseille.
De Zerbi’s arrival on a five-year contract was met with concern by the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, who said that his hiring “raises serious and far-reaching concerns”, adding in a strongly-worded statement that Spurs were directly warned about the “strength of feeling” among fans.
Greenwood joined Marseille from Manchester United in 2024 after charges against him, which included attempted rape and assault, were dropped. Last November, De Zerbi described him as a “good guy” who paid a “heavy price”.
He added at the time: “It saddens me what happened in his life because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”
Opting to speak in Italian during his first interview with the club media, De Zerbi addressed the comments for the first time since his appointment, saying: “I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly.
“In my life I have always stood up for who are more vulnerable, more fragile. I have consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are more at risk.
“Those of you who know me well will know I’m not the type of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title. I apologise to those who I offended with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I’m very sensitive to these things and always have been.
“I hope that over time, people will get to know me better and will understand that in that moment I didn’t mean to take a stance.”
De Zerbi is still expected to speak about his comments during his first press conference, Sky Sports News understands.
Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one of controlling and coercive behaviour and another of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online, although the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023.
The charges against Greenwood were dropped because of “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.
Sky Sports News understands the Spurs board carefully considered and discussed the sentiments around De Zerbi’s association with Greenwood during the hiring process.
