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As the firestorm continues to rage around Cristiano Ronaldo with rape allegations from the past making a comeback, Juventus as a club have been conspicuously quiet.
Of course, it’s not because there’s not a lot going on behind the scenes with the club also announcing a reshuffling of the Board of Directors and popular architect-in-chief of the last few years of Juventus’ success Beppe Marotta leaving the club.
The player himself addressed a question posed directly to him about the accusations during an Instagram live chat by dismissing them saying they were untrue.
Now the club have finally made a statement, sort of. Juventus just posted on Twitter a few minutes ago two tweets saying they appreciate the player’s professionalism and dedication.
.@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
“Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. 1/1”
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 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”
While addressing the allegations, they do not outright show support for the player but at the same time do not completely dismiss the accusations levied at the forward either. It’s certainly an interesting format chosen by the club to talk about it.
This is an odd position that Juventus have taken - conflating his ability on the pitch with his capability to be a criminal off of it is just logically incoherent, and incredibly tone deaf considering the circumstances.
Even his personal sponsor Nike has taken a different tack, saying in an emailed statement from their media department -
“... we are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Another sponsor EA Sport have also said something similar -
“We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo.
“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.”
One can only assume there will be more to come.