Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for 30 days for leaving the Portugal national team camp, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced on Monday.
The 41-year-old forward walked out of the camp on September 30 during the UEFA Nations League, then accused coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word about giving him playing time, The Express Tribune reported, citing AFP.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star must also pay a fine of 255 euros ($286). He apologised to supporters earlier in October and said he would accept any punishment. He received the minimum penalty under the federation’s rules, which set suspensions of between one and six months for leaving the national team.
Remorse taken into account
The FPF disciplinary committee said it took into account “the remorse shown in the statement” Ronaldo issued on October 6, in which he admitted his mistake and said he would accept any punishment.
The suspension runs from the day of the Denmark match on October 1, so Ronaldo has already served 19 days and will complete the ban by the end of October.
How the row began
- September 27: Ronaldo was made to warm up as a substitute against Norway but was not brought on
- September 30: he found out he would not start against Denmark and left the camp
- Afterwards: in a social media post, he accused Jesus of going back on his word about bringing him on against Norway, and of leaving out points the two had agreed before a press conference
One of those agreed points, Ronaldo said, was that Jesus had “made a mistake in asking someone of the stature of Pele or Maradona to warm up and then not sending him on in the match”.
He insisted he was not retiring from international football. “I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” he posted.
Jesus said several days later that he would pick Ronaldo if the forward was playing for his club, Al Nassr, and wanted to be called up.
Portugal won without him
Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time top scorer and record appearance-maker in men’s international football, and a five-time Ballon d’Or winner. But in his absence, Portugal won all four of their Nations League matches and qualified for the quarter-finals with two games to spare.
Portugal host Denmark on November 14 and visit Wales on November 17 in their last two Group A4 matches, by which time Ronaldo’s ban will be over.
Ronaldo did not react directly to the decision on Instagram, but posted a picture of himself preparing to train with Al Nassr, with the caption “Putting in the work”.
Why it matters
The ban itself is short, but the bigger question is whether Ronaldo, at 41, still has a place in a Portugal team that has thrived without him. The November games will show whether Jesus calls him back. Read our report on Tottenham’s first league win of the season.
This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and AFP.
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