Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with a provisional suspension from the Portuguese national team after the federation opened disciplinary proceedings against him following his abrupt departure from the squad during the recent international break.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) confirmed, according to local outlet A Bola, that it had launched formal proceedings against the 41-year-old forward, who left the team's camp in Copenhagen before Portugal's Nations League clash with Denmark. The federation stated that beyond the automatic preventive suspension already in place up to the point proceedings began, a further non-automatic suspension had also been imposed, with the case being handled on an urgent basis.
The episode has exposed a rift between Ronaldo and head coach Jorge Jesus. According to Ronaldo's own account, the two had reached an understanding that he would sit out matches against Norway and Denmark in order to manage his physical condition. That arrangement appeared to unravel, however, when Jesus informed him on matchday against Norway that he would in fact be used for roughly half an hour of action.
Ronaldo described how he then prepared to enter the field, only to be left out entirely. "Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn't called on," he said, adding that he felt the coach had gone back on an agreement between them. "The manager had broken his word to me," Ronaldo said.
As the saga played out, Ronaldo was left out of the squad or kept on the bench throughout the international window, during which Portugal won all three of their matches without him. His absence opened the door for Gonçalo Ramos, who took full advantage by scoring a hat-trick of goals across the games, strengthening his case for inclusion going forward.
Ronaldo chose to air his grievances publicly once the break concluded, posting a lengthy message on Instagram to his massive following of 679 million. In it, he called on Jesus to admit fault for instructing him to warm up before the Norway match only to then withhold him from the pitch. The coach has not responded publicly by acknowledging any error in how the situation was handled.
Despite the dispute, Ronaldo struck a conciliatory tone this week, issuing an apology to Portugal's supporters even as he maintained his criticism of Jesus. He indicated he was prepared to accept whatever punishment the federation decided to hand down, saying he would serve any "suspension that is imposed" on him.
Looking ahead, Ronaldo suggested in his social media post that his international career is not necessarily finished, telling fans they could still expect a proper send-off. He wrote that supporters should anticipate "one or more farewell matches" before his time with the national side comes to a close, suggesting the current situation may not mark a permanent rupture with the Portugal setup.
The federation's decision to fast-track the disciplinary case suggests a swift resolution could be reached, though it remains unclear what sanctions Ronaldo may ultimately face or how it could affect his standing with the national team moving forward. The incident marks one of the more public disputes of Ronaldo's long international career, which has made him Portugal's most capped and highest-scoring player in the nation's history.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.