EA is 'closely monitoring' rape allegations against FIFA 19 cover athlete Cristiano Ronaldo

Electronic Arts says it's "closely monitoring" allegations against FIFA 19 cover athlete Cristiano Ronaldo, who is facing accusations of raping a woman in Las Vegas in 2009. As reported by The Guardian, Las Vegas police confirmed that they have reopened its investigation into the matter after his accuser made her complaint public in German magazine Der Spiegel last week. 

"The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call of a sexual assault on 13 June 2009. At the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description. A medical exam was conducted," the department said. 

"As of September 2018, the case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided by the victim. This is an ongoing investigation and no further details will be released at this time."   

Ronaldo has strenuously denied the allegation, saying on Twitter that "rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."   

"We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo," EA said in a statement sent to Eurogamer. "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." 

FIFA fans on Reddit also took note of the fact that Ronaldo's image has been removed from the EA Sports FIFA Twitter page, but EA said that was simply a rotation for marketing purposes.  

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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