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Reuters
Cristiano Ronaldo has a lucrative contract with Nike
Nike said it was "deeply concerned" by the allegations of rape against footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
The US sportswear giant, who signed a $ 1 billion deal with Ronaldo, announced that he "would continue to monitor the situation closely," reports the Associated Press.
EA Sports, who also has a contract with Ronaldo, made similar comments.
Ronaldo, 33, had previously "strongly" denied attacking Kathryn Mayorga at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
Ms. Mayorga, a 34-year-old former American teacher, was inspired by the # MeToo movement, her lawyer said.
"The MeToo movement and the women who got up and disclosed sexual assault gave Kathryn a lot of courage," said Leslie Stovall.
- The accuser's # MeToo's courage & # 39;
- Ronaldo not in the Portugal team to face Scotland and Poland
What did Nike and EA Sports say?
In a statement, Nike said: "We are deeply concerned about the disturbing allegations and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."
At the same time, EA Sports told the AP: "We have seen the report regarding the allegations concerning Cristiano Ronaldo.
"We are watching the situation closely because we expect the athletes and the coverage ambassadors to behave in a manner that is consistent with EA's values."
In another development, Juventus – the Italian club Ronaldo left Real Madrid for £ 99.2m in July – took the defense of his player.
In a tweet, Juventus said: "Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by all by Juventus."
How did Ronaldo respond?
The Portuguese international had previously stated that the allegation, reported for the first time in the German magazine Der Spiegel, was a "false news".
On Wednesday, he posted a statement on his Twitter account:
Der Spiegel said that Ms Mayorga had filed a report with the Las Vegas police shortly after the alleged incident.
But the following year, she would have reached Ronaldo an amicable settlement involving a payment of $ 375,000 (£ 288,000) for agreeing never to disclose these allegations.
His lawyers are now seeking to declare the nondisclosure agreement void.
In a lawsuit, Ms. Mayorga said she met Ronaldo at the Rain Nightclub at the Palms Hotel and Casino and had her raped in her penthouse.
Mr. Stovall stated that his client had suffered from major depression and was considering committing suicide since the alleged assault almost a decade ago.
He added that a psychiatrist had diagnosed Ms. Mayorga with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Las Vegas police confirmed Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into a complaint in June 2009, but added that it did not have a suspect in the case.
"At the time the report was written, the victim did not provide the detectives with the location of the incident or the description of the suspect," said a statement.
"Since September 2018, the file has been reopened and our detectives are monitoring the information provided," adds the text.
Ronaldo's lawyers have already announced that they will pursue the magazine Der Spiegel for his reports.
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