EA issue statement on the removal of Cristiano Ronaldo from FIFA 19 front cover

What's the story?

EA Sports have issued a statement to explain why they removed Cristiano Ronaldo from the front cover of FIFA 19.

In case you didn't know...

Following the rape allegations against the Juventus star last year, EA had removed all promotional images featuring the Portuguese from their social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook, stating that they were closely monitoring the claims.

Last year, Kathryn Mayorga came out to accuse the former Real Madrid star of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009, paying her $375,000 and forcing her to sign a nondisclosure agreement after the incident.

Ronaldo has since vehemently denied the accusations on Twitter saying, "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."

"My clear conscious will thereby allow me to wait with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations."

While the Portuguese featured on the cover of FIFA 19 when it came out in September last year, he has been dropped from the latest cover and has been replaced by PSG's Neymar, teammate Paulo Dybala, and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

16 teams, 7 games, 3 potential champions, 1 🔥 new #FIFA19 cover. https://t.co/pTvLyJF1qw @neymarjr @PauDybala_JR @DeBruyneKev pic.twitter.com/JhjQryW4Av

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) February 6, 2019

The heart of the matter

EA have now come out with a statement to explain the reasons behind the move and has been dismissive of Ronaldo's allegations as the main reason for the decision. Speaking to EuroGamer, a spokesperson said, "With the UEFA Champions League coming to EA Sports FIFA 19 this year, we have a unique opportunity to offer a range of new content to players that reflects the real-world excitement of football."

"We often celebrate different talent across our sports games and with the UEFA Champions League knockout stages underway, we are featuring some of the biggest stars in football and bringing new players a range of content to get excited about."

In an email to Eurogamer last year, an EA spokesperson said that the allegations against the Juventus star were very concerning: "We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo. We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect to cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values."

What's next?

Ronaldo is currently still under investigation but continues to feature for Juventus during games. His side is next scheduled to face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League tomorrow night.

Also see : Copa America Schedule, Copa America Standings