Lawyer Leslie Stovall: Cristiano Ronaldo Accused of Rape by 2nd Woman
October 7, 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of rape by a second woman, according to the lawyer representing American woman Kathryn Mayorga, who has also accused the Juventus star of the same crime.
"I have had a call from a woman who claims to have had a similar experience," Leslie Stovall said, according to Caroline Graham at the Mail on Sunday.
Stovall did not name the woman involved but said he would pass on her details to Las Vegas police, whi have reopened an investigation into Mayorga's allegation that she was raped by Ronaldo in a hotel room in 2009. The Juventus star has denied the allegations.
On Wednesday, Ronaldo said his conscience is clear over Mayorga's accusations:
Cristiano Ronaldo @CristianoI firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.
Juventus also supported Ronaldo in a post on Twitter the following day:
Football writer Daniel Storey criticised the club's response:
Daniel Storey @danielstorey85Don't think it's helpful to offer opinions on serious allegations - particularly on social media - but that Juventus statement is abhorrent. 'Allegations do not change our opinion that he is a great champion' - this is bigger than sporting achievement, for goodness sake.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri said the 33-year-old is "fine" and "Juventus have to protect Ronaldo" when asked about the Portuguese forward on Friday, per Calciomercato.com's Lorenzo Bettoni.
Portugal prime minister Antonio Costa has also defended Ronaldo, calling him "an extraordinary footballer" on Saturday, per The Sun's Jon Lockett.
Ronaldo scored the second goal for Juventus in Saturday's 2-0 win at Udinese, and the reigning Italian have now won all eight league games this season.
Off the pitch, things have gone less smoothly for club and player, though. Ronaldo is the cover star of the new FIFA 19 video game, but his image has been removed from social media platforms by publisher EA Sports, per Kate McGreavy for MailOnline.
Juventus saw their shares drop by 10 per cent on Friday after criticism of their handling of the situation, per BBC News.
Sportswear giants Nike, who have an advertising contract with Ronaldo, have said they are "deeply concerned" by the allegations, per Rozina Sabur at the Telegraph. The contract is said to be worth $1 billion (£768 million) and "could be at risk."
Ronaldo has yet to respond to the fresh allegations. He will not be in action over the international break after being left out of the Portugal squad to face Poland and Scotland.