Off The Hook?

Last updated : 03 September 2007 By Ed
Kaveh Solhekol in the Times predicts no club fine for Ronaldo after inviting escorts to his home.

Ronaldo is unlikely to be fined by Manchester United after the Portugal winger was accused of organising an orgy with five prostitutes and two team-mates at his house nine days ago. Juliana Baltrusch, a 24-year-old Brazilian prostitute, who works for Mckenzies escort agency in Leeds, and two of her colleagues have claimed that they attended a party at Ronaldo's £3 million Cheshire home with Nani and Anderson and two other prostitutes after Manchester United's 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson discovered on Thursday that the allegations would be made against the three players over the weekend, but the United manager showed his faith in Nani, the 20-year-old Portugal winger, and Anderson, the 19-year-old Brazil forward, by selecting them to start in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Sunderland. Ronaldo was suspended after being sent off in the Barclays Premier League match against Portsmouth last month, but is expected to return in two weeks for United's next Premier League game, away to Everton.

Baltrusch claims that she was driven to Ronaldo's house with four other prostitutes and told to help the three players, two of their friends and an unidentified "fat man" to celebrate United's first victory of the season. "I recognised Ronaldo straight away from watching the World Cup last year," Baltrusch said. "He's my idol. I've always fancied him."

According to Baltrusch, the party cost the players £3,000 — paid for on a handheld credit card swipe machine that she carries in her handbag — and during the four hours she spent at Ronaldo's house she "dirty-danced" with the winger, performed a sex act on Nani and joined Anderson in bed for "a no-holds-barred spanking session".

Ferguson has a well-earned reputation as a strict disciplinarian and several former United players who crossed his path will be scratching their heads after discovering what the present generation of players at Old Trafford are reported to be getting up to.

Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson could escape club fines because they were partying within the confines of a private house, the incident happened on a night after a game when no curfew would be in place and United did not have a match for another six days.

The only worry for the United management would be the reaction of the club's owners, the Glazer family.

The details of the five women who are reported to have attended the party, were removed from Mckenzies website yesterday. "We are a highly respected escort agency, so it's no surprise that top Premiership players decided to use our services," a source at the agency said. "We hear that Ronaldo was very happy with our girls. In fact, that's probably an understatement."