Ronaldo calm over Police demand for DNA in rape case
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘very calm’ amid the latest developments in his alleged rape case.
Former school teacher Kathryn Mayorga claims that the Portuguese forward raped her at his Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009 and since going public with her case last year, Ronaldo has faced intense scrutiny.
Police issued a warrant to obtain Ronaldo’s DNA on Thursday evening as they stepped up their investigation but Allegri insists his star man is not letting the case get to him.
Speaking ahead of his side’s Italian Cup match at Bologna on Saturday, Allegri said: ‘It’s a private matter so I can only talk about soccer. So I’ll respond to how I’ve seen Ronaldo. He’s very calm. He has trained very well and rested like everyone else – which was needed after four intense months
‘Now he needs to prepare well for the second half and most important part of the season.
‘I see Cristiano very serene and calm and that’s what I’m basing this on. For the rest of it, it’s not my job to respond because they are private matters and it’s only right that I don’t respond.’
The coach also discussed Ronaldo’s playing time, insisting he may have to manage his minutes in the future.
He added: ‘He hasn’t gone away on international duty this season so he’s missed six games compared to last term. He’s played more or less the same number of games.
‘We’ll see how best to use him going forward. I have to manage the other players too so that we can try and go all the way in every competition.’
Police said in a statement that an official request has been submitted to Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the superstar player. Officer Laura Meltzer, a department spokeswoman, said the request involved a warrant.
Earlier the Wall Street Journal reported that authorities want to check his DNA against that of some found on the dress of Ms Mayorga.
The newspaper claims authorities have sent a warrant to the Italian courts in the hopes of being allowed to carry out the procedure.
It cites a ‘law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case’ who claims a key piece of evidence in the investigation is the dress. And that some DNA other than Ms Mayorga’s was found on it.