Cristiano Ronaldo is now facing a potential six-month suspension after he left Portugal’s camp last week.
The 41-year-old departed the camp after being left feeling Jorge Jesus, his manager, had broken promises over playing time. It’s understood that a rift between the two prompted Ronaldo to walk away.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute during Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. It’s the first time in 18 years the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been named in a Portugal squad but not used.
Jesus, who managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, admitted telling the legendary forward that he would feature before changing his mind during the match.
Despite Jesus’ insistence that “there was no incident whatsoever” during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Ronaldo left the camp afterwards and will not feature against Denmark on Thursday or Norway on Sunday.
Ronaldo went on to release a statement, which was more than 600 words long, explaining his side of the fallout. The Al-Nassr forward claimed Jesus had lied and gone back on his word.
Portugal ‘Suspend’ Ronaldo After Nations League Walkout
Ronaldo’s close friend Edu Aguirre appeared on the Spanish TV show El Chiringuito last Wednesday evening and revealed Cristiano “feels betrayed” by his international manager.
However, Ronaldo’s decision to quit the Portugal camp could lead to a lengthy ban, according to ESPN Brasil. The striker has now been automatically ‘suspended’ after walking out on the Nations League camp, according to The Sun.
The Portuguese Federation’s rulebook states that a player who leaves a training camp, game or any activity related to the national team can be punished with a six-month suspension. The rule says:
“The player who, regularly called up, abandons or does not unjustifiably attend training, game or activity of the national teams or related to the sports representation of the FPF or Portugal, is sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months and, incidentally and if he is a professional player, with a fine between 500 and 1,000 euros.”
As Ronaldo is currently earning an eye-watering £487,647 every day at Al-Nassr, a €1000 fine would be a tiny drop in the ocean and nothing close to representing a meaningful punishment.
But a six-month ban could mark the sad ending to one of the most remarkable international careers in football history.
Ronaldo made his Portugal debut back in 2003 and has since made an astonishing 234 appearances, scoring 146 goals – 99 more goals than the European nation’s previous leading goalscorer, Pauleta, managed to net between 1997-2006.
He helped Portugal win Euro 2016, along with two UEFA Nations League titles. While there was an expectation that he could join his long-term rival Lionel Messi in announcing his international retirement, Ronaldo looks like he is willing to return if he’s called-up in future.
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