Ronaldo is in the spotlight over an allegation of rape – but so are his many sponsors
Analysis: The footballer adamantly denies the claim but, as Ed Malyon points out, businesses who have a relationship with the player have been forced to respond
It was only last month that Nike, having previously nearly parted company with American football star Colin Kaepernick, threw their full weight behind him as the face of their 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign.
Their decision was divisive – Kaepernick being the most prominent sportsman to have refused to stand for the playing of the US national anthem at matches. A thousand think pieces were scattered across the news pages and internet as experts and counter-experts debated the relative merits of a huge global sports brand deciding to take sides on something that so testily stands at the intersection of sport, race and politics.
The Guardian asked if “woke business” meant big brands have found a conscience. The Washington Post said that Nike wasn't trying to be “woke” it was just trying to sell shoes. Indeed, the word “woke” appeared quite a lot – enough, ironically, to send one to sleep.
But having made the bold, business decision to cast themselves as forward-thinking, liberal and progressive, Nike could not have possibly predicted the sort of test that Cristiano Ronaldo would provide them with so soon.
The rape allegation against the Portuguese, brought to light last weekend by Der Spiegel – and adamantly denied by Ronaldo – doesn't just put the player or his club under the spotlight; not these days.
Sports stars, and particularly those with the global profile of Ronaldo, also boast a legion of sponsors. They are no longer just defenders, goalies or wingers; they are ambassadors and partners.
And all eyes were on Ronaldo's long list of sponsors to see how they would react in the #MeToo era to allegations that, if true, plainly have the potential to be incredibly damaging.
For a day or two there was silence. By Thursday night, though, most of the brands, organisations and companies associated with Ronaldo had begun to speak.
Save The Children were the first, telling The Independent earlier this week that they were “disheartened... and working to get more information” about the accusations levelled against their ambassador.
EA Sports, who have put Ronaldo on the front cover of their best-selling video game FIFA 19, said they “expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values.”
Their actions spoke louder than their words as they removed images of Ronaldo from their website.
Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion.
Then Nike, who have had a contract with the player since 2003, said they were "deeply concerned" by the raft of serious allegations made against Ronaldo by Kathryn Mayorga.
Nobody was expecting brands to cut ties with Ronaldo before due process could be completed but these companies have invested hugely in the Portuguese and it is a sad indictment of our age that there were questions over whether brands would even make any comment at all.
Ultimately, the major investor in Ronaldo this year is his club, Juventus, who paid €100m to sign him from Real Madrid in July and pay him another €500k every week, so it was perhaps not surprising that it was they who provided the most defensive response.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus.
€500k
Ronaldo's weekly salary
“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.”
Setting aside the clumsy language that sees “allegedly” in the wrong place – one hopes this is nothing more than an orthographical error in the translation process – the implicatoin that staying behind in training to pick up a few cones would render these allegations void is as crass as they come outside Supreme Court nominee hearings these days.
Nike are among the companies that have the most to lose when it comes to Ronaldo, having signed a lifetime deal that is understood to be worth $1bn to the player, but they found with Kaepernick that sponsorship of athletes doesn't necessarily come without context these days. Brands, increasingly, are expected to take a position.
With this case developing, Ronaldo's sponsors have expressed their concern. After that, they can do no more than the rest of us – watching, waiting for developments that could have a seismic impact across sport, business and society.