Harry Maguire has been accused of grabbing Roma forward Santiago Castro in a sensitive area during Manchester United’s Champions League victory over the Italian club.
The incident came during a heated contest at Old Trafford, where Manchester United recovered from a disastrous start to overturn a two-goal deficit and win 3-2 after the interval.
According to a report in The Sun, the confrontation began when Maguire, 33, challenged 22-year-old Castro in an attempt to win the ball. The Manchester United defender appeared to go into the challenge head-first, making forceful contact with the ball and the Argentina international’s legs.
Castro reacted angrily and ran towards the England international. Footage appeared to show the Roma forward placing both hands around Maguire’s neck during the ensuing confrontation.
Maguire then responded immediately. He appeared to grab Castro from below before pulling the Roma player to the ground. The nature of the contact has led to claims that Maguire had seized his opponent’s genitals.
Video clips of the exchange were published on social media, although they did not provide a conclusive view of exactly what happened. Roma supporters expressed significant anger online and strongly criticised the referee for not sending off Maguire.
The supporters claimed the Manchester United defender had grabbed “his opponent’s genitals” before bringing Castro down. The allegation has not been independently established by the footage, which remains unclear.
Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini did not refer to the incident after the match.
The result completed a remarkable turnaround for Manchester United, who had appeared to be in serious trouble after falling 2-0 behind. They scored three times in the second half to secure victory at Old Trafford.
Roma’s next listed fixture is against Sassuolo in Serie A on 07 November 2026. Manchester United are due to play Aston Villa in the Premier League on 08 November 2026.
