Mastercard cancels advertising campaign for Neymar after rape accusation

Mastercard has canceled an advertising campaign featuring Brazilian football star Neymar, after a woman accused him of raping her in a Paris hotel, a newspaper in Sao Paulo reported on Thursday.

The newspaper, O Estado de S.Paulo, reported on its website that Mastercard said in a statement it was suspending its use of Neymar in advertising until the situation is “cleared up’’.

Neymar denies the allegation of rape and has claimed the woman was trying to extort him.

The woman appeared on Brazilian TV on Wednesday and said the athlete did rape her.

A police report seen by Reuters over the weekend showed that a woman had accused the 27-year-old Neymar of raping her at a Paris hotel last month.

Sao Paulo police are investigating the accusation.

Following media reports on the matter, Neymar posted a long video on Instagram, in which he denied the accusations.

He claimed he was a victim of extortion, and shared WhatsApp messages he had exchanged with the alleged victim, including racy photos he had received.

That led police in Rio de Janeiro to open an investigation into whether Neymar had committed a crime by posting those intimate pictures online.

Neither a spokeswoman for Neymar nor Mastercard immediately responded to requests for comment.