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Harsh

Harsh

Cristiano Ronaldo Looking at Multi-Million Pounds Claim if Rape Allegation Proven

According to a leading sports lawyer, Simon Leaf, who is a specialist in the commercial contract for Mishcon de Reya, Ronaldo could face multi-million pounds claims from sponsors if the rape allegation is proven.

 

In case you are not aware, Kathryn Mayorga has accused the Juventus forward of raping her back in 2009 in a Las Vegas hotel. She was also reportedly paid a sum of $375,000 and signed a non-disclosure agreement to never speak of this again.

Ronaldo took to Twitter to deny any such accusations:

However, this alleged report was enough to shake the footballing industry and the sponsors related to the Portuguese star.

He is one of the 3 athletes to have a lifetime contract with Nike, valued at around $1 billion. Nike said that it was “deeply concerned” with these allegations and that it was “disturbing” and would “continue to monitor the situation closely.”

The same goes for EA sports, who also have a contract with the superstar, made similar comments.

DAZN, an internet sports streaming platform, signed Ronaldo as an ambassador in August have taken the allegations “extremely seriously.” Herbalife and American Tourister, other sponsors are yet to comment.

According to Forbes, Ronaldo’s social media presence generates around $176m. He also has ‘CR7’ brands, including the Pestano hotels, his own museum (the Museu CR7) and is rated by Forbes in the top 10 celebrity earners in the world.

Leaf is certain that all his major sponsors will be now checking the detail of their contracts.

“This is likely to include not only their rights to terminate or suspend the relationship if the allegations prove to be accurate, but also whether they may be able to recover past fees paid to him,” said Leaf. “I’d be surprised if in a chunk sponsorship agreement, that we regularly advice on, there wasn’t some kind of representation that Ronaldo provided confirming that there were no issues that he was aware of that may cause the relevant brand harm, such as reputations damage, later down the line. This is one of the most heavily negotiated issues when it comes to a deal of this nature.

“At this stage, it is just an allegation. I’ve seen some contracts where, if there is even the hint of an allegation, brands will suspend the relationship and possibly terminate. A lot of it comes down to the power of the parties. You would think someone like Ronaldo would be in quite a strong bargaining position when approaching a negotiation with major brands.”

The Portuguese captain has also not been selected for the upcoming international games. He will miss the game against Poland in the UEFA Nations League and a friendly against Scotland.

“We agreed the player wouldn’t be available, wouldn’t be an option for selection,” Mr Santos said. “For the next two squad selections, this one and the one next month, Ronaldo won’t be with us.”

The decision was taken after a discussion between Mr. Santos, Ronaldo and the head of the Portuguese football federation.
However, Mr. Santos added that Ronaldo will return to playing for the country eventually.

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Harsh

Harsh

Premier League Table Writer at Sports Talk Line
An Indian living in France with just enough knowledge to survive in the land of Wine, Baguette and Cheese. Back on Facebook with a new account as my older account has been (wrongly) disabled. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter and while you are there, don't forget to follow 😉 or add me on FB

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