Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of rape by a second alleged victim, according to Leslie Stovall, the lawyer representing 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,” 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, per Graham.
Las Vegas police has 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.
Ronaldo has said his conscience is clear in response to allegations from Mayorga:
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
My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
Juventus have also shown their support for Ronaldo with a post on Twitter:
.@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
Manager Massimiliano Allegri said the 33-year-old is “fine” and “Juventus have to protect Ronaldo” when asked about the Portuguese forward amid the current allegations, per Calciomercato.com’s Lorenzo Bettoni.
Portugal prime minister Antonio Costa has also defended Ronaldo, who he’s called “an extraordinary footballer,” per The Sun‘s Jon Lockett.
Ronaldo played for Juventus in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Udinese and scored the second goal for the Italian champions. The team have now won all eight league games this season.
Juventus and Ronaldo have been affected off the pitch by the allegations surrounding the forward. Ronaldo is the cover star of the new FIFA 19 video game, but his image has been removed from social media platforms by EA Sports, per Kate McGreavy for MailOnline.
Shares in the Italian club have dropped since the allegations emerged. Juventus saw their shares drop by 10 per cent on Friday after criticism of their handling of the situation, per BBC News.
Sportswear giant 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,” per the report.
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.
