A Manchester United winger, Antony, faced allegations of dishonesty from one of his accusers after he publicly disclosed alleged WhatsApp messages between them and asserted that their encounter had been 'intimate and consensual'.
Banker Ingrid Lana accused the Brazilian footballer of pushing her against a wall after he tried to kiss her. His ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin has also accused him of assaulting her on four occasions. Antony has denied any wrongdoing.
After the latest allegation from Lana, Antony was forced to clarify what happened during their encounter by publishing texts he claims they had shared, including one where the person messaging him tells him 'If you want I'll wait in bed naked'.
Posting the texts on his Instagram, he called his accuser 'a fraudster', adding: '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!!'
Lana has now hit back at Antony, calling him a liar and claiming he had in fact fabricated the text messages.
He shared conversations between us as friends... including explicit conversations that don't even sound like me, because he's desperate. It just shows what a liar you are,' she said, as reported by Marca.
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'All of this that I narrate now is undoubtedly proven in WhatsApp messages, which I just do not publish in full to preserve the right to privacy.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.'
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.
The club's decision, which follows discussions between chief executive Richard Arnold and manager Erik ten Hag, comes in the wake of Brazil's decision to drop Antony from their squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru on Monday night.
A statement read: 'Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony. Players who have not participated in international matches are due back in training on Monday.
'However, it has been agreed with Antony that he will delay his return until further notice in order to address the allegations.