Ronaldo’s FIFA 19 Twitter banner changed by EA amid rape allegations

A recent change to FIFA 19’s Twitter banner may have just demonstrated sponsors’ deep concern over Cristiano Ronaldo’s rape allegations.

The Juventus forward has been accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, who claimed he assaulted her in Las Vegas in 2009. Ronaldo has denied the accusation, calling it “fake news”.

In an email to Eurogamer, an EA spokesperson stopped short of saying the publisher planned to ditch Ronaldo as FIFA 19 cover star, but called the report in German magazine Der Spiegel “concerning”.

“We have seen the concerning report 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.”

FIFA fans had picked up on a recent change to the EA Sports FIFA Twitter banner, which swapped an image of Ronaldo for an image of the FIFA 19 logo with accompanying review quotes