Nike on Friday said it is “deeply concerned” by rape allegations against star client Cristiano Ronaldo, while shares in Juventus fell almost 10 percent on the Italian stock exchange.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said the striker is “doing well” and was “ready to play” in yesterday’s game at Udinese.
However, the player’s relationship with Nike, which is rumored to be worth US$1 billion, is under scrutiny after police in Las Vegas last week announced that they were reopening an investigation into allegations made by a former model Kathryn Mayorga.
Photo: AP
“We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation,” a Nike spokesman said.
According to Forbes, Ronaldo is one of only three athletes to have been given a lifetime deal with Nike.
Electronic Arts (EA) Sports, for whom Ronaldo is a leading figure in their FIFA video game, also called the allegations “concerning.”
Shares of Juventus on Friday closed down 9.92 percent at 1.19 euros on the Milan stock exchange.
Juventus have so far stood behind Ronaldo, but the club’s reaction to the issue has angered some fans.
The Portuguese striker “has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus,” the club wrote on Twitter on Thursday, breaking their silence over the allegations.
“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,” it added.
The defending Serie A champions’ tweets were widely panned on social media as “shockingly dismissive and insensitive.”
“You’d expect a more nuanced and sensitive approach from such a mega organisation,” one tweet said.
Ronaldo has vehemently denied the accusations.
“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” he tweeted in English on Wednesday. “Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.”
“My clear conscious ... will thereby allow me to await with tranquility the results of any and all investigations,” he added.
Portugal on Thursday said that Ronaldo would play no part in the nation’s next four internationals, but national coach Fernando Santos gave him his backing.
“I know Cristiano Ronaldo very well and I fully believe his word when he says he would never commit a crime like this,” Santos said.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB