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Juve shares plunge after Ronaldo allegations

More than €100m was wiped off the value of Juventus shares after publicity was given to rape allegations made against Cristiano Ronaldo which he vehemently denies. Shares in the club dropped by nearly 10 per cent on the Milan stock exchange last Friday cutting the club's worth from €1.3bn to €1.2bn. Over the week it fell by close to 19 per cent. Juventus is one of a relatively small number of clubs who still have shares traded on a major exchange.

Last week police in Nevada reopened a criminal investigation over a complaint by a local woman that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel nine years ago.

Nike and Electronic Arts, two of the player's sponsors, took the rare step of issuing statements of disquiet over the matter. However, they have not severed their commercial links.

It is believed that Ronaldo is one of the few athletes to have a lifetime deal with Nike. Sponsors often have morality clauses in contract, allowed them to terminate deals if an athlete's personal conduct is perceived to be damaging.

Ronaldo has many personal sponsorship deals, including with the watchmaker Tag Heuer. Through his personal brand 'CR7', he has launched a line of fragrances, footwear, underwear and blankets. According to Forbes, his personal sponsorship deals were worth $47m in the year to June 2018. His four year club contract with Juventus provides a salary worth more than €50m a year after tax.

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