Nike says it ended deal with Neymar amid sexually-assault allegations
Paris, May 28: Nike has confirmed it ended its sponsorship agreement with Neymar after he refused to collaborate in an investigation into an accusation that he sexually assaulted a female employee from the company years ago.
The soccer superstar has denied the accusation and criticized the company on Instagram while training with Brazil outside Rio de Janeiro.
Neymar called Nike's claims "an absurd lie."
Nike didn't give a reason last August when it parted ways with the Paris Saint-Germain forward. But the company said in a statement on Thursday that it terminated the contract because Neymar refused to participate "in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee."
Nike said it could not speak in detail about the case when their deal ended because the investigation was not conclusive.
"No single set of facts emerged that would enable us to speak substantively on the matter," Nike said.
"It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts."
The Wall Street Journal first reported the story on Thursday. The newspaper reported that the Nike employee told friends as well as colleagues in 2016 that Neymar tried to force her to perform oral sex in his hotel room while in New York, where she was helping to coordinate events and logistics for the player and his entourage.
No complaint was ever made to police or local prosecutors, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. A message seeking comment was left with the NYPD. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined comment.
Nike said it was "deeply disturbed by sexual assault allegations" and confirmed the alleged incident took place in 2016, when Neymar played with Barcelona. Nike said it received an official notice of the incident two years later.
The company said it respected the employee's initial desire to avoid an investigation and to keep the matter private.
"In 2019, when the employee later expressed interest in pursuing the matter, we acted immediately," it said.
"Nike commissioned an independent investigation and retained separate independent legal counsel for the employee, of her choosing and at the company's expense."
Neymar wrote a long Instagram post on Friday addressing the end of the Nike partnership and the sexual assault allegation without going into details.
"I really don't understand how a serious company can distort a business relationship that is supported by documents. Written words cannot be altered. They are very clear," Neymar wrote.
"Once again I am warned that I cannot comment in public. Against my own will, I shall obey."
The footballer also said he travelled and worked with Nike employees several times after the alleged incident, and nothing changed in the relationship.
"I was not given the opportunity to defend myself. I was not given the opportunity to know who this person was that was allegedly offended. I don't even know her," he wrote.
"I never had any kind of relationship or approach with this person.
"I didn't even have a chance to talk to her, to know the real reasons for her pain. That person, an employee, was not protected. I, a sponsored athlete, was not protected."
The Brazilian also regretted having to wear a shirt sponsored by Nike at his club Paris Saint-Germain.
"Irony of fate I will continue to stamp a brand on my chest that betrayed me. That's life for you!" he wrote.
"I remain firm and strong, believing that time, always this cruel time, will bring the true answers."
Neymar is expected to play two World Cup qualifiers in early June. He is widely believed to be in Brazil's squad to be announced for next month's Copa America.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
