Manchester United winger, Antony has hit back at an assault allegation made by his ex-girlfriend Ingrid Lana while publishing a series of WhatsApp messages of their conversation.
Lana, a 33-year-old banker, alleged in an interview with Record TV in Brazil that Antony was aggressive towards her in October.
She accused the 23-year-old winger of pushing her against a wall after he tried to kiss her.
Antony is being investigated by police in Sao Paulo and Manchester after his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin accused him of assaulting her on four occasions. Antony has denied any wrongdoing.
Last Thursday, another two women in Brazil came forward to level accusations against the £85million player.
Law student Rayssa de Freitas claims that she needed hospital treatment following an incident in May of last year when she was attacked by Antony and Mallu Ohana – the ex-wife of Brazil player Dudu – in Antony’s Land Rover after the three left a Sao Paulo nightclub.
Lana then made her accusations against Antony in a TV interview. ‘He tried to have sex with me and I didn’t want to. He pushed me against the wall and I hit my head.’
United announced on Sunday that Antony will stay away from the club until further notice. He has not been suspended but placed on a leave of absence on full pay to give him time to defend himself against the claims.
Antony took to his Instagram account on Sunday night with a series of posts, including four screenshots of WhatsApp conversations, allegedly with Lana.
He also wrote: ‘I don’t want to but I’m being forced to publish a small part of the WhatsApp conversations with Ingrid, which demonstrates that we only had a single meeting, intimate and consensual.
‘This matter with this fraudster will be resolved in court!!’
In one of the messages, the person messaging Antony tells him ‘if you want I’ll wait in bed naked’.
In another Antony is upset the person has taken screenshots of their conversations, saying ‘I don’t find it cool, so please delete it.’
In a statement to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Antony said: ‘I was chatting with Ingrid via WhatsApp. When she went to Portugal to go to her cousin’s birthday, she asked to come here to Manchester to meet me, with the clear intention of meeting me intimately, including asking me if I preferred red or white lingerie.
‘I bought a ticket and booked a hotel for her. In fact, I met her at the aforementioned hotel and we had an intimate and consensual encounter.
‘Although she insisted that we meet again for another intimate encounter, due to scheduling issues I was unable to see her again, as she returned to Brazil. Since then, I have never met her again.
‘All of this that I narrate now is undoubtedly proven in WhatsApp messages, which I just do not publish in full to preserve the right to privacy.
‘However, I will make available the appropriate channels, if necessary, to prove my innocence, as well as to propose the competent reparatory action and request for investigation.’