EA "Closely Monitoring" Cristiano Ronaldo Rape Accusations, FIFA Social Media Images Changed to Remove Ronaldo

EA issued a statement regarding soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo following rape allegations against the player, saying the company is "closely monitoring" the situation. Ronaldo is currently the cover star for FIFA 19.

In a recent report by German magazine Der Spiegel, Kathryn Mayorga has accused Ronaldo of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009. The Juventus player denies the accusation and has called it "fake news" and a "media spectacle" in statements following the report.

In a statement to Eurogamer, an EA spokesperson says the report is "concerning" but hasn't confirmed whether EA will be making any changes to the FIFA 19 cover of which Ronaldo is the cover star of for this year's edition.

"We have seen the concerning reort 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."

While EA didn't commit to removing Ronaldo from the cover of FIFA 19, FIFA players noticed that EA changed the Twitter banner on the official EA Sports FIFA account. EA says that it changes social media banners based on its own marketing schedule.

As Eurogamer reports, Ronaldo features heavily into FIFA 19, appearing on the cover and various in-game promotions.

Ronaldo has been left out of upcoming games against Poland and Scotland, and Nike, which also has a contract with Ronaldo, has issued a similar statement as EA to The Associated Press. "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."