Speak to any sports fan and he will tell you there are a few things in life that bring unbridled joy that comes with witnessing the breakout of a new talented youngster. It’s like a ray of sunshine peeking through a cloud on a gloomy day. The possibilities seem endless, entelechy – the realisation of potential – a certitude.
The last time I felt that was watching Cristiano Ronaldo make his debut for Manchester United against Bolton in 2003. David Beckham had departed for Real Madrid after a flying boot hit him in the face and Sir Alex Ferguson handed the fabled number 7 shirt to a gawky Portuguese lad who barely looked like he could survive the rigours of the toughest league on the planet.
Yet, seeing his fearless display as an 18-year-old, United fans immediately took to him, reacting as if a messiah had sprung up in front of them. Sir Alex Ferguson agreed with the assessment and wrote in his book that the first time he saw Ronaldo play was the ‘the biggest surge of excitement and anticipation he experienced in football management’.
Watching Ronaldo grow up and become the best was a thrilling experience, and we felt privileged to be part of that particular journey. The poor boy from Madeira became one of the most globally recognised athletes, the headliner on video game FIFA, a top Nike athlete and other endorsements.
Fans often live vicariously through players and as I watched Ronaldo go toe-to-toe with Messi for the GOAT gauntlet, I felt as if my own brother was beating the world. I wax lyrical about Ronaldo’s talents because for one-and-half decades, I’ve followed his career with great interest. But I must say that I can no longer bear to watch him play.
The rape accusations against Ronaldo, the shocking details of the incident that took place in 2009 and the subsequent strong-arm tactics used to keep the victim silent means that watching Ronaldo play football is akin to celebrating the talents of a sexual predator. To still venerate Ronaldo would be akin to being a complicit to this violation.
We’re often told about the flawed genius trope, that one should separate the human from his talents, but it’s impossible to separate Ronaldo and his crime.
The Story
The incident according to a report in weekly German magazine Der Spiegel took place on June 2, 2009. It was the summer when Manchester United fans were heartbroken after Ronaldo finally left to become a Galactico at Real Madrid. The incident allegedly took place in Nevada, Las Vegas.
The victim, Kathyrn Mayorga, recalls how Ronaldo walked in on her changing in his penthouse, his penis hanging out of his shorts and asked her to touch it. She agreed to a kiss but stated that Ronaldo violated her agency by raping her anally, not stopping even after she repeatedly asked him to do so.
What’s more shocking is the fact that according to court documents, Ronaldo virtually admits he raped her.
In response to question whether she asked him to stop, X (believed to be Ronaldo) states: "She said no and stop several times."
In court documents, Ronaldo purportedly says: “I entered her from behind. It was rude. We didn't change position. 5/7 minutes. She said that she didn't want to, but she made herself available." And further: "But she kept saying 'No.' 'Don't do it.' 'I'm not like the others.' I apologized afterwards."
On whether the sex was ‘too brutal’, Ronaldo admits that he ‘forced her’. He states: “She didn't complain about it being brutal. She complained that I forced her. She didn't say anything about wanting to go to the police."
The Strong-arm Tactics
What followed was a classic case of strong-arm tactics that would make the mafia proud. Ronaldo’s legal team had the woman followed and tried to paint her as a bad girl, an alcoholic, a promiscuous lady. After a harrowing ordeal, she signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The case reached an out-of-court settlement where Ronaldo finally paid her $375,000 to keep quiet, even haranguing his lawyers to pay her as less as feasible. The amount is a pittance for him and the sum he roughly earned every week playing for Real Madrid. The victim states after the assault, he apologised saying ‘99% time he was a good guy except the one percent.’
Her current lawyer believes the non-disclosure his client signed is void, that she wasn't competent to enter the agreement because of 'psychological injury sustained from sexual assault'. He goes on to state that Ronaldo's lawyers took advantage of her 'mental state', and even discussed how to take advantage of her emotional state. According to a medical exam, she is suffering from PTSD and clinical depression as a 'direct and exclusive consequence of Ronaldo's sexual assault perpetration'.
According to the out-of-court agreement, Mayorga, while undergoing therapy sessions wasn’t even allowed to mention her rapist’s name. Ronaldo has dismissed the allegations as ‘fake news’ in an Instagram live video, with the air of someone swatting away a bothersome insect.
No matter which way you look at it, no matter how much we adore Ronaldo’s skills with the ball, the victim hasn’t been treated fairly, while Ronaldo appears to have got off very lightly for a very heinous crime. The out-of-court settlement clearly indicates that Ronaldo had something to hide.
Sportsmen have in the past paid for their crimes. Tiger Woods lost his sponsors after his adulterous nature surfaced. Adam Johnson, the former Sunderland player who once looked like a shoo-in for the England team is serving six years in prison for raping a schoolgirl.
Does a man accused of rape deserve to be on the cover of FIFA, a video game played by millions? What message does it send to youngsters, that if you are famous your crimes will be ignored? Should Nike, a company that celebrates Kaepernick for ‘sacrificing everything’ keep paying a player who has virtually admitted to rape?
Monsters don't deserve our adulation, they don't deserve to be celebrated by millions. They should face the same cold hand of justice that's meted out to every individual irrespective of their talents or their economic status.
Of course, one shouldn’t hold their breath when it comes to action from FIFA – the Beautiful Game’s governing boy – which so entrenched and self-servicing that it makes BCCI look like a bunch of amateurs with pocket change.
The world isn't fair, but what helps us strive towards fairness is our belief in justice, which can only come through a robust legal system.
Perhaps we should be glad that it happened in the US, in Nevada where there is no statute on sexual harassment crimes, if it has been reported. The case, if it comes to trial, will be in the US, in a legal system which doesn't shy away from pulling up its own president if the situation calls for it.
In the age of Me Too, where we promise to hold every harasser to account, irrespective of whether they are a fictional president or a powerful studio honcho, will a superstar footballer go free? The notion that 'Boys will be Boys' and some people can afford to get away being 'naughty' needs to be emphatically struck down.
Martin Luther King Jr had famously remarked that human progress is neither ‘automatic nor inevitable’. He had said: “Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” The question arises whether the footballing world, including us fans, will part of progress or an impediment. It is easy to deride a Nana Patekar or Brett Kavanaugh. Can we take the same stance for an icon we have all rooted for? It should be truly #TimesUp for all sexual offenders.
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