International Football - Sponsor threaten club over rape charge

Thu, 14 Oct 15:01:00 2010

The sponsor of a leading Swedish football club threatened to withdraw their business if they did not suspend a player accused of rape.

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Beer brand Abro, the shirt sponsor of Swedish champions AIK Solna, ordered the Stockholm-based club to suspend Liberia midfielder Dulee Johnson after he was arrested for the alleged rape of a 22-year-old woman.

It is not his first brush with the law: the 25-year-old has convictions for drink-driving and assaulting a girlfriend.

"Enough is enough," Abro CEO Henrik Dunge told local newspaper Aftonbladet. "He has misbehaved several times and it has hurt us as sponsors.

"He cannot play for the club anymore. This is not consistent with Abro’s values and it does not match the club's values.

"I called the board and we demanded that he be suspended, otherwise we would terminate our contract. The board came back quickly to tell us that he was indeed suspended.

"It was the right decision."

Johnson - who holds a Swedish passport after moving there as a teenager - denied the charge through his lawyer, but Dunge insisted that he was no longer welcome at the club even if proved innocent.

"He can have nothing to do with this club," Dunge added.

"He has done too much now and we have to cut him adrift."

Eurosport

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  1. typical black rapist of a white woman...feel sorry for­ him? no way.

    From Richard, on Thu 14 Apr 16:53

  2. I felt so bad hearing this kind of news about my­ Liberian brother been involved in Violent behavior.­ After a long period of Civil crisis, we are trying to­ build a good image abroad but why should Dulee allow­ himself to be asociated with violent acts? Not just­ once but this is the third time. We back home look­ forward to them out there to serve as role model for­ our belove Country Liberia.

    From Lusue V.K., on Fri 15 Oct 20:49

  3. this charge against johnson is allege, but looking at­ his persistence actitute of lawlessness there is a need­ that something be done this time to set some­ precedence.
    great Mr. Johnson is also representing a­ Country call Liberia I think he should put up some good­ moral or decorousness
    shadrick

    From Shadrick, on Fri 15 Oct 18:23
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