Ronaldo denies accusations of 2009 Las Vegas rape

FOOTBALL player Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday denied rape allegations levelled against him, saying his conscience was clear and that he would calmly await the results of any investigation.

“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in,” the world-famous athlete wrote in a tweet.

Lawyers for Kathryn Mayorga, who sued Mr Ronaldo in a district court in Clark County, Nevada on Thursday, said the soccer star has 20 days from the filing of the lawsuit to respond. Ms Mayorga alleges that Mr Ronaldo raped her in 2009 in a Las Vegas hotel penthouse suite.

The lawsuit, which seeks more than $200,000 in damages, names as defendants Mr Ronaldo and an unnamed team of fixers described as “personal reputation protection specialists” hired to make the situation go away.

Ms Mayorga’s lawyers said they were considering whether to release documents related to the case including police reports, medical records, and an out-of-court settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement about the incident.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said on Monday an incident report with the number listed in Ms Mayorga’s lawsuit was filed on the night of the alleged attack, and said the case was reopened last month. They declined to say whether the athlete was the subject of an investigation.

Police had no immediate comment on Mr Ronaldo’s statement.