Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed a $129 million contract with Italian football club Juventus in July, still has the support of his team after a serious sexual assault allegation surfaced.
An American woman named Kathryn Mayorga, in an interview with Der Spiegel, accused the Portuguese player of raping her anally in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. She is also alleging that she was coerced into signing a $375,000 settlement and nondisclosure agreement. The Las Vegas Police Department opened an investigation into the allegations.
Ronaldo denied these allegations through Twitter, adding that “rape is an abominable crime.” The 33-year-old later tweeted: “My clear [conscience] will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”
‘Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism’
Juventus defended their star player in a series of tweets. Shares of the club, which is owned byAgnelli family, fell more than 5% on the Italian stock exchange on Friday.
“Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication,” the team said. The soccer club declined to comment further to Yahoo Finance.
.@Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. 1/1
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018
The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion. 2/2
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018
Ronaldo signed with Juventus on a four-year, $129.3 million contract in July. Yahoo Finance explored this signing, weighing the pros and cons of whether or not the deal would be worth it for the club in the long run.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri also stands by his star player.
🎙 @OfficialAllegri: “I’ve known @Cristiano for three months now and for over 15 years of his career he has shown to be a great professional both on and off the pitch. He is ready to return to action tomorrow.”#UdineseJuve pic.twitter.com/tOJt6Lq7g6
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 5, 2018
Nike is ‘deeply concerned’
Companies involved with Ronaldo, such as Nike (NKE) and EA Sports (EA), responded to the allegations. In a statement to Yahoo Finance, Nike said: “We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.” In 2016, Nike and Ronaldo signed a lifetime endorsement deal worth as much as $1 billion.
EA Sports removed Ronaldo’s image from the photo on one of its video game covers on the company’s website (as well as from social media posts). The company told Reuters: “We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo. We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA’s values.”
Portugal’s national squad left Ronaldo off the roster for two upcoming matches. Head coach Fernando Santos raised further questions when he said that Ronaldo, the captain, will not be called up for a series of international games in November. Santos stated that a three-way conversation took place between him, Ronaldo, and the head of the Portuguese football federation but declined to provide further details aside from Ronaldo’s lack of availability.
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Read more: Is 33-year-old Ronaldo worth $129 million to Juventus?
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