Former Premier League soccer player Jorginho says Chappell Roan had no involvement in the “aggressive” treatment of his child after publicly criticising the pop star last month.
Jorginho, who plays for Brazilian side Flamengo, had said on his social media in March that his 11-year-old daughter had walked past the singer’s table in a hotel to see if it was her, before being approached in an “extremely aggressive manner” by a security guard.
The 34-year-old said his child was in tears and it was sad to see such treatment come from “those who should understand the importance of fans”. The incident had happened on the weekend of Lollapalooza, which the singer was headlining on the Saturday.
Roan, 28, had denied seeing Jorginho’s child and asking the security guard to speak to her. “I do not hate people who are fans of my music, and I do not hate children. That is crazy.” she said. “I’m sorry to the mother and child.”
On Monday, the former Chelsea and Arsenal footballer released a follow-up statement on his social media saying that “new information has come to light”. While he maintained that the situation occurred as described, Jorginho clarified that the security guard was not representing Chappell Roan and the singer had “no knowledge” of what took place.
Jorginho went on to describe Roan’s private response as “understanding and sympathetic”, and the situation as “ultimately a misunderstanding.”
Jorginho made a combined 196 Premier League appearances for London clubs Chelsea and Arsenal, winning the Champions League with the former (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“I made my initial statement in the heat of the moment, after hearing that my child and wife had been approached by an adult male security guard in an intimidating way,” the statement read. “I reacted as any father would. My priority is, and always will be, protecting my family, and that is exactly what I did.
“The security guard himself has since confirmed publicly that he was representing another artist at the hotel at the time. While we still do not know what prompted him to approach them, and do not believe an 11-year-old at breakfast could reasonably be seen as any kind of security threat, it is now clear that he was not acting on behalf of Chappell.
“I am glad to set the record straight. It’s important to me that this is clarified fairly and accurately. I regret the impact this situation has had on Chappell Roan, Catherine, Ada, and our family.
“I will always stand up for my family. But I also know how to recognize when things were not quite what they seemed at first.
“Thank you for the support we received during this sensitive moment. I do, however, want to make one thing very clear: I do not support or encourage hate speech or online attacks from any side. Respect, empathy, and humility are values I carry and teach my family every single day.
“As far as I am concerned, this matter is closed.”
The Athletic has contacted Roan’s representatives for comment.