Ryan Giggs, a former winger for Manchester United, awaits trial on an allegation of domestic abuse, he has resigned from his position as manager of the Wales national football team “with immediate effect.”
Since his arrest in November 2020, Giggs, who is now 48 years old, has been placed on leave.
After that, he was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour for his actions between August 2017 and November 2020 against his ex-girlfriend, Kate Greville.
Giggs is also charged of attacking Greville, inflicting her real bodily injury, and common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, at his house in Manchester in the month of November 2020. Both incidents allegedly took place in November 2020.
He has refuted the claims and entered a plea of not guilty to all of the counts against him.
Giggs made the announcement in a statement, saying, “After great contemplation, I have decided to step down from my role as manager of the Wales men’s national team with immediate effect.”
Rob Page, who had previously worked as Giggs’ assistant, has been in control of Wales’s football team as an interim manager since since Giggs stood down for the first time. Under Page’s watch, Wales qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
As a result of Giggs’ decision to stand down, Page will be the referee for England’s matches against the United States of America and Iran in Qatar in November.
“I do not want the preparations for the World Cup to be damaged, destabilised, or jeopardised in any way by the continuous attention surrounding this issue.
“My plan is to go back into management at some point in the future, and in the meanwhile, I am looking forward to cheering for our national team with you from the stands.
Giggs had a stellar 24-year career with Manchester United at the club level, during which he earned a total of 25 major honours, including 13 Premier League crowns and two Champions Leagues.
In January of 2018, Giggs was given the role of manager for Wales, and he was instrumental in the team’s qualifying for Euro 2020.
The trial had been scheduled to begin in January, but it was postponed by seven months as a result of the backlog of court cases that followed the coronavirus outbreak.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said in a statement that they will: “The Football Association of Wales would like to express its gratitude to Ryan Giggs for his time spent managing the Cymru Men’s National Team and its appreciation for the decision that he has made, which is in the best interests of Welsh football. The FAW has made this expression of its gratitude public.
Both the FAW and the Welsh men’s national team are putting all of their efforts into preparing for the next Fifa World Cup in Qatar.