Football star Jorginho released a lengthy statement via his Instagram Story on Saturday, reportedly leaving his stepdaughter in tears after a confrontation with Chapel Rowan and her security team.
According to the Italian midfielder, his wife Catherine Harding and her 11-year-old daughter came to Sao Paulo to watch Ron play in Brazil’s Lolla Paloosa. Her daughter’s biological father is British actor Jude Law, who is also a big fan of Ron. It turned out they were staying at the same hotel as Ron and she saw her as she passed their table at breakfast.
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Jorginho said the excited child wanted to confirm that it was indeed Ron, but kept his distance:
My daughter, like any child, recognized her and was excited, just wanting to make sure it was really her.
The worst part was that she didn’t even get close to her. She just walked past the singer’s table, confirmed it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mom. She said nothing and asked for nothing.
Jorginho claims the mother and daughter subsequently received a “completely disproportionate response:
While they were still having breakfast, a large security guard came to their table and started talking to my wife and my daughter in an extremely aggressive manner, saying that she should not allow my daughter to “disrespect” or “harass” other people. I honestly don’t know under what circumstances just walking past a table and seeing if anyone is there could be considered harassment.
He even said he would complain to the hotel about them while my 11 year old daughter sat there in tears. My daughter was in shock and crying profusely.
Screenshot of Jorginho’s Instagram Story.
(instagram)
Jorginho noted that he himself is no stranger to the life of a public figure (his Instagram following is 4.9 million, not far behind Ron’s 7.8 million), and said fans like his daughter don’t deserve this treatment:
“It’s so sad to see this kind of treatment coming from people who should understand the importance of fans. At the end of the day, they are the ones who created it all. I sincerely hope this can be a moment of reflection. No one should have to go through this, especially a child.”
Ron has spoken out about aggressive fan behavior and stalkers in the past but had not responded publicly as of Saturday night.
Jorginho currently plays for Brazilian football powerhouse Flamengo and has spent more than a decade playing for top European clubs, including Napoli, Chelsea and Arsenal. He finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2021, when he helped Chelsea win the Champions League.
