Cristiano Ronaldo dropped as face of FIFA 19 amid rape allegation but remains on multi-million pound contract with EA Sports
Juventus superstar is paid millions to figurehead hit video game but has been relegated from promo campaigns
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CRISTIANO RONALDO has been axed as the face of FIFA 19 amid an allegation of rape.
But EA Sports insists the decision to drop him was simply to "celebrate different talent".
EA Sports released a promo cover for their Champions League content but omitted the competition's all-time top scorer in favour of Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne and Paulo Dybala.
The Juventus superstar, 34, also no longer features on the start-up screen for the hit video game despite having been the first player gamers see since its release in September.
Ronaldo, 34, is paid millions to be the face of FIFA 19.
But the Portuguese has been relegated from promotions for the game since he was accused of raping Kathryn Mayorga, also 34, at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 - a claim he vehemently denies.
Ronaldo also recently accepted a £16.6million fine and 23-month prison sentence for tax evasion during his time at Real Madrid.
EA Sports announced Ronaldo, who has scored a record 121 Champions League goals, as their figurehead for FIFA 18 and he also featured on the front cover of this season's edition.
A spokesperson told : "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."
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Shortly after Ronaldo was accused of rape, EA Sports said: "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."
Fellow sponsor Nike also said they were "concerned" about the allegations and were "closely monitoring the situation".
Ronaldo was the highest paid athlete in the world for the second straight year in 2017 after he raked in £70m - including £25m in mega licensing deals.
He signed a lifetime deal with Nike at the end of 2016 reportedly worth $1billion (£760m).