Portugal boss Santos leaves Cristiano Ronaldo out of the squad
Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal's 25-man squad for the upcoming internationals. Portugal are up against Poland in the UEFA Nations League on October 11. They also travel to Scotland, three days later, in a friendly encounter. Ronaldo, who has been accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, will miss out these matches. Here's more.
Ronaldo not available for call up at the moment
According to a report, Portugal boss Fernando Santos revealed there were talks held with the Juventus forward. "We agreed that the player was not available for this or the next call up. I will not reveal the details of the conversation we three had," said Santos. On Wednesday, Ronaldo took to social media to dismiss the allegations that he raped Mayorga in 2009.
Ronaldo will not be prevented to make return in future
Ronaldo has scored 85 goals in 154 games for Portugal and the statement by Santos indicates that he will not be stopped from making a return after this matter gets resolved. "In the future, nothing prevents Cristiano from giving his contribution to the national team." In September, Ronaldo missed out playing against Croatia and Italy as he needed to adapt after moving to Juventus.
Nike, EA Sports concerned by the allegations against CR7
Meanwhile, US sportswear giant Nike, which has a £768 mn deal with Ronaldo, stated that it is deeply concerned by the allegations against the football superstar. EA Sports, which also has a contract with the former Real Madrid player, expressed its concerns. In a statement, Nike stated, "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."
Ronaldo has denied accusations
Las Vegas Police have reopened the 2009 investigation
After the request of Mayorga, authorities in Las Vegas have reopened the investigation from 2009. She had claimed that the former Manchester United man raped her in a hotel room in Vegas that year. Ronaldo's lawyers have come out and claimed that they will sue Germany's Der Spiegel magazine that reported the allegations. In 2010, reportedly, there was an out-of-court settlement.
