Is Cristiano Ronaldo headed for a crisis?
What's the story
Italian giants Juventus had hoped to finally fulfil their Champions League dreams by signing the most successful UCL player, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, after the rape allegations against Ronaldo became public and Juventus stood by him, the club's shares took a hit. They fell by ten percent, on Friday, at the Milan Stock Exchange. Moreover, brands like Nike and EA Sports are also concerned.
Juventus
The shares of Juventus took a huge fall
Till date, Juventus have stood behind Ronaldo and praised his professionalism and dedication, and even released a statement saying that they are behind their forward. However, Juventus top-brass won't be happy with their shares taking ten percent dip after they came out in support of CR7. On September 20, their shares had reached high of €1.80, but now have fallen to €1.19 euros.
Twitter Post
Here is how Juventus showed their support
.@Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. 1/1
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018
EA Sports
EA Sports removes Ronaldo from all social media accounts
EA Sports recently launched FIFA 19 with the Portuguese megastar on its cover. However, post the allegations, it has now removed all references to CR7 from the social media accounts. "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 in a statement.
Twitter Post
EA has revamped its Twitter account after allegations against Ronaldo
After the rape allegation against Ronaldo, it looks like EA has removed all references to CR7 from their Twitter page. pic.twitter.com/AzaQuFYnAY
— Jason Ence (@jasonuk17) October 4, 2018
Twitter Post
Another case where Ronaldo's face has been removed
EA isn't dropping Ronaldo from the box art yet, but it looks to me like they are absolutely preparing to.https://t.co/RW29p3y2Ov pic.twitter.com/kAVKENuYaR
— Brendan Sinclair (@BrendanSinclair) October 4, 2018
Twitter Post
Ronaldo has denied all allegations in very clear terms
I 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.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
Nike
Nike is worried about the entire affair as well
Ronaldo's sportswear sponsor Nike is worried regarding the situation as well and has expressed the deepest concerns about the same. Ronaldo is the face of the brand and him being accused of rape can be hugely detrimental to its business, the company has surely presumed. Nike's deal with Ronaldo is worth a reported $1 billion (£768m).