CELEBRITY
Neymar blasts Nike over sexual assault probe
Brazilian soccer player Neymar hit back at sportswear maker Nike on Friday (May 28), saying the company’s statement that it terminated an endorsement deal because he refused to cooperate with an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a Nike employee was “an absurd lie”.
In a story first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Nike – which had Neymar on a long-term contract – said it terminated the deal last year after an employee came forward with what it said were “credible” allegations against the player.
Neymar, who plays for Paris St Germain, denies the allegations and said he did not know the employee in question.
The incident allegedly took place in 2016 but the employee initially requested to keep the matter confidential and Nike only opened its investigation in 2019 after the woman expressed an interest in legal action, according to a Nike statement.
Nike said it had ended its relationship with Neymar because “the athlete refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee”.
Neymar, responding on Instagram, said: “I was not given the opportunity to defend myself” and “I’ve never had any kind of relationship or approach from this person. I didn’t even have a chance to talk to her, to know the real reasons for her pain. That person, an employee, was not protected. I, a sponsored athlete, was not protected.”
Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Neymar’s statement.
“I really don’t understand how a serious company can distort a business relationship that is supported by documents. Written words cannot be modified. They are very clear,” Neymar added.
“Ever since I was 13 years old, when I signed my first contract, I was always warned: don’t talk about your Agreements. Agreements are confidential! Contradict this rule and state that my contract was terminated because I did not contribute in good faith to an investigation, is an absurd lie.”
Neymar wrote he had been advised not to say more about the deal but a separate statement sent by his spokeswoman for Neymar Sport E Marketing, the company established in his name, criticised Nike’s corporate governance.
It said statements from Nike’s counsel were made “improperly and irresponsibly” and hinted the player would reveal more about the case at a future date.
“The appropriate measures are already being adopted and soon the real reasons shall be revealed and the facts clarified,” the statement said.
The dispute is the latest to beset the 29-year-old former Santos and Barcelona striker’s career, which has been punctuated with scandals both on and off the field, from criticising referees, suing his former club, clashing with fans, and even abusing his own coach while at Santos.
He was also accused of rape in a Paris hotel in June 2019, although Neymar said the encounter with the woman, a Brazilian model, was consensual and he accused her of attempting to extort him.
Brazilian authorities dropped that investigation against Neymar, citing lack of evidence, and later charged the model with slander, extortion and procedural fraud. The slander and extortion charges were dismissed in 2019 and she was acquitted of the fraud charge in 2020.
-Reuters
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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