Neymar is facing a split with Nike over the alleged sexual assault investigation

Nike, the US sportswear giant, says it has stopped working with Brazilian footballer Neymar. Neymar has “refused to co-operate in a good faith investigation” for an allegation of sexual assault. This alleged incident took place in 2016. Nike got the report in 2018. Nike is saying that its investigation was inconclusive.

A spokesperson of Neymar says that he has denied the sexual assault. He split with Nike last year due to some commercial reasons.

The spokesperson said that “Neymar Jr will vigorously defend himself against these baseless attacks in case any claim is presented, which did not happen so far.”

Nike parted ways with Neymar in August 2020. It is marking the end of one of the most high-profile deals of sponsorship. The company has shown no reason for the split at this time. In a statement on Thursday, it said, “It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts.”

But it also added that Nike had ended its relationship with the athlete as he refused to co-operate for a good faith investigation. He has completely denied the credible allegations for the wrongdoings of an employee.

Nike is saying that the employee reported the allegation in 2018. But initially, the employee wanted to avoid any investigation. Thus she kept it confidential. It is saying that it had commissioned an independent investigation in this matter in the next year when she showed interest to pursue it.

The alleged victim has not disclosed her name. Thus Nike is saying that they will continue to respect the confidentiality of the employee. Also, they recognize that it has been a much long and very difficult experience for her. Neymar is currently playing for the French side Paris Saint-German. Neymar has previously denied the accusations regarding rape in 2019 in a case that came up eventually.

Credits: BBC