Post by Taxigirl on Oct 20, 2005 9:13:52 GMT
www.sportinglife.com/football/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/10/20/SOCCER_Ronaldo.html
The agent of Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has fiercely denied claims that the player raped a woman in a hotel suite.
The accusations were "totally and categorically repudiated", Jorge Mendes said in a statement.
The 20-year-old Portuguese international winger was released on police bail last night after being questioned for several hours over allegations that he raped the woman in a London hotel.
Mr Mendes said the allegation was "the product of imagination and fantasy".
He said: "As the investigations will demonstrate, these charges are not based on any credible facts and are clearly the product of the imagination and fantasy of the young lady."
Ronaldo went voluntarily to a police station in Manchester with his lawyer to attend an appointment with detectives.
He told officers he was completely innocent and has been bailed to return to police custody pending further inquiries.
Two women claimed he and another man took them back to a penthouse suite in the Sanderson Hotel in London on October 2 after they met at a nightspot.
The attack is alleged to have happened in the hotel.
Ronaldo, who has told friends he is the victim of a "stitch-up", was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard's Operation Sapphire team, which investigates sex crime, and who travelled up to Manchester to speak to him.
A second man in his 30s, who is said to have been with him on the night, also kept an appointment at the police station but was not arrested.
Manchester United's director of communications, Phil Townsend, said: "We are not commenting at the moment."
Police said they could not confirm when the arrested man would be asked to return for further questioning.
The claims follow a series of high-profile cases involving sex allegations against footballers.
In September last year, two Premiership players were interviewed over an alleged gang rape at the Grosvenor House hotel in London.
The Crown Prosecution Service later decided there was insufficient evidence for them to be charged.
Also last year three Leicester City players faced allegations of sexually assaulting three women in a five-star hotel on a training camp in Spain.
They spent six nights in jail there but all charges against them were dropped.
In January last year, rape charges were dropped against ex-Chelsea player Jody Morris and a friend after they were accused of raping a woman in Leeds.
Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie was held in jail in Rotterdam earlier this year after being accused of rape. He was released after two weeks and maintains his innocence.
The agent of Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has fiercely denied claims that the player raped a woman in a hotel suite.
The accusations were "totally and categorically repudiated", Jorge Mendes said in a statement.
The 20-year-old Portuguese international winger was released on police bail last night after being questioned for several hours over allegations that he raped the woman in a London hotel.
Mr Mendes said the allegation was "the product of imagination and fantasy".
He said: "As the investigations will demonstrate, these charges are not based on any credible facts and are clearly the product of the imagination and fantasy of the young lady."
Ronaldo went voluntarily to a police station in Manchester with his lawyer to attend an appointment with detectives.
He told officers he was completely innocent and has been bailed to return to police custody pending further inquiries.
Two women claimed he and another man took them back to a penthouse suite in the Sanderson Hotel in London on October 2 after they met at a nightspot.
The attack is alleged to have happened in the hotel.
Ronaldo, who has told friends he is the victim of a "stitch-up", was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard's Operation Sapphire team, which investigates sex crime, and who travelled up to Manchester to speak to him.
A second man in his 30s, who is said to have been with him on the night, also kept an appointment at the police station but was not arrested.
Manchester United's director of communications, Phil Townsend, said: "We are not commenting at the moment."
Police said they could not confirm when the arrested man would be asked to return for further questioning.
The claims follow a series of high-profile cases involving sex allegations against footballers.
In September last year, two Premiership players were interviewed over an alleged gang rape at the Grosvenor House hotel in London.
The Crown Prosecution Service later decided there was insufficient evidence for them to be charged.
Also last year three Leicester City players faced allegations of sexually assaulting three women in a five-star hotel on a training camp in Spain.
They spent six nights in jail there but all charges against them were dropped.
In January last year, rape charges were dropped against ex-Chelsea player Jody Morris and a friend after they were accused of raping a woman in Leeds.
Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie was held in jail in Rotterdam earlier this year after being accused of rape. He was released after two weeks and maintains his innocence.