Juventus footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is being investigated by Italian police over a trip he is thought to have made to celebrate the birthday of his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez. He is accused of violating anti-Covid rules, traveling between the Piedmont and Valle d'Aostas regions.
Deleted footage now posted on social media showed the couple in a snowmobile at a mountain resort, the same day Georgina Rodriguez turned 27.
Italy, meanwhile, is facing hundreds of deaths and thousands of infections every day, and anti-Covid measures are still in place. Valle d'Aosta police said they were investigating the couple for the trip to the Courmayeur ski resort.
Under current rules in Italy, travel between Covid's "orange zones" is prohibited, unless done for business reasons or to travel to a second home.
Italian media reports claim that the couple traveled on Tuesday and stayed overnight in a tourist hotel before returning to Turin. Rodriguez later shared a post with her 23 million followers, where they celebrated at home with their family.
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If the violation is proven, the couple could face a fine.
The controversy comes months after Ronaldo infected himself with Covid-19. At the time he was criticized by the Italian sports minister for the trip to Portugal shortly before he came out positive. Vincenzo Spadafora labeled Ronaldo "arrogant" and "disrespectful", and accused him of violating the Covid-19 protocol. While the footballer denied having broken the rules.
Adapted from BBC
