Cristiano Ronaldo is accused in a rape case. The accusation can potentially costs him millions of dollars each year from losing sponsors.
Kathryn Mayorga claimed that Ronaldo raped her in 2009. Mayorga reportedly alrady received 287 thousand pounds from Ronaldo in 2009 to close the case. She even assigned an agreement to cancel her first report. La Vegas police reopened the case after getting new information from Mayorga.
Ronaldo already denied the allegation with his tweet.
The case is getting a lot of attention, Portugal national team already dropped Ronaldo from international match against Poland and Scotland.
Even Nike and EA Sports as Ronaldo's sponsors are monitoring this problem. Nike in its statement said it was very concerned and disturbed with the case.
"We are very concerned about the disturbing allegations and will continue to monitor the situation."
If Ronaldo is found guilty, it's highly likely that the 33-year-old player will lose his sponsors.
Nike and Ronaldo since 2016 have established a life-long contract that reaches 1 billion US dollar. Ronaldo reportedly has annual revenues from Nike around 30 million US dollar.
Nike and EA Sports are not the only sponsors of Ronaldo. There are also Toyota, Samsung, Emirates Airline, TAG Heuer, etc.
According to Forbes released data in mid-2018, all those sponsorship brings Ronaldo fortune of 47 million US dollar per year.
With 30 million US dollar per year, Nike is Ronaldo's biggest source of income from sponsors. And it seems that Nike won't hesitate to terminate contract if the Portuguese star is found guilty in this case.
If the player is found guilty, all his reputation is at stake. Ronaldo is known as a role model inside and outside pitch. He engaged in charity, he has not a single tattoo on his body so he could donate his blood. He is also a hard worker, he comes early in exercise session and finish lasts, he works harder than everyone else in his team.
Ronaldo is more than a man, he is a brand. He is a big business. And he cooperates with other big business like Nike. And they are all in spotlight because of this case. And if such scandal happens in a big business like Ronaldo, we know that money is also at stake here, not just reputation and good name.
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