A closer look into the allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself in the eye of the storm following the sexual assault allegations by Kathryn Mayorga. The incident happened 9 years ago but has resurfaced now. The football world has been rather silent about this, with not much being made of his omission from the Portugal national team.

Nike and EA, however, have made statements saying that allegations of this nature are "concerning" and "disturbing". Juventus, strangely enough, have tried to spin it to reflect positively on the player's character. This is a dangerous precedent to set for future incidents as superstars of Ronaldo's stature need to be held accountable for their actions.

.@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

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. 2/2

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018

The comments made by Nike and EA shouldn't be taken for granted either, especially in an era of the #MeToo movement. Corporations such as these, who have backed powerful individuals, have often faced too much backlash for not having appropriately timed responses on sensitive issues such as these.

Although in a case like this, their comments may bring legitimacy to the claims and they'll be anxiously waiting to see if their star will be absolved of the crime. Either way, the developments in this area will be interesting to watch as these corporations will be left in a tough spot, in the event that these allegations are proven

Kathryn Mayorga meanwhile should be lauded for her bravery rather than being trashed by CR7 fans. It is really disturbing to see fans on Twitter voicing that she should be honoured because she was assaulted by CR7. This is troubling, to say the least, and these individuals should think twice before saying things like that. Not only is it insensitive but it comes across as inhumane, irrespective of whether the claims are true or not.

Kathryn Mayorga

Ronaldo has so far tried to stay out of the spotlight and called this news as fake. The Las Vegas police have reopened the investigation, and things may become clear soon. The media needs to take a stronger position and not sit on the fence. It is unacceptable that someone of his stature gets away (if proven guilty) given that we have seen other high profile celebrities being held accountable.

The sporting community needs to do more to tackle issues such as this and create checks and balances to ensure that victims can speak out without fear. Moreover, football leagues across the world need to ensure that any subject proven guilty is provided rehabilitation before they are reintegrated.

Kathryn's story has only opened up the possibility of more such stories coming to light and we need to seriously rethink how our athletes should be viewed in the light of such allegations.

The full details of the case, as broken by Der Speigel can be found here.