Sportswear maker Nike Inc and video game maker Electronic Arts Inc and said on Thursday they were concerned about rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 33-year-old Juventus player on Tuesday denied rape allegations leveled against him by a woman who sued him in court in Nevada.
"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation," Nike said in a statement.
Nike has worked with Ronaldo since 2003 and in 2016 announced a lifetime deal with him worth which could be worth as much as $1 billion (Dh3.6 billion), according to Forbes magazine.
Electronic Arts has featured Ronaldo on the cover of its EA Sports' FIFA series for two years.
"We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo," an EA spokesperson said.
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Cristiano Ronaldo denies sexual assault accusation and calls rape 'abominable crime'
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"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," the company said.
Kathryn Mayorga sued Ronaldo in a district court in Clark County, Nevada, alleging he raped her in 2009 in a Las Vegas hotel penthouse suite.
The player has said his conscience was clear and that he would await the results of any investigation.
"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in," the world-famous athlete wrote in a tweet to his 75 million followers.
Ronaldo transferred from soccer team Real Madrid to Italian champions Juventus this summer for €100 million (Dh422.1m). Juventus broke their silence on the situation Wednesday afternoon on Twitter, fully backing Ronaldo.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus," the team tweeted.
"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," Juventus said.
Ronaldo is due to play for Juventus on Saturday when the Serie A champions travel to Udinese for a game that kicks off at 8pm UAE time.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Company%20profile
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One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
