Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended from playing.
According to Reuters report on October 10th, the Portuguese Football Federation has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Ronaldo and imposed a temporary ban on him. The incident stemmed from Ronaldo's disagreement with his head coach Jorge Jesus during a national team match, after which he left the national team training camp. The final penalty has not been announced yet.
The Portuguese Football Federation stated in its announcement that, based on a decision made by the disciplinary committee's non-professional department on October 9th, the federation has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Ronaldo to investigate whether his actions involve disciplinary responsibility. The federation also decided to impose a 'non-automatic preventive suspension' on him, and to handle the case as an urgent matter.
The case was transferred to the Portuguese Football Federation Disciplinary Investigation Committee on October 10th. Until the investigation is completed, the relevant procedures will not be made public.
This incident began during Portugal's recent European national team matches.
According to a report by The Associated Press on October 10th, Cristiano Ronaldo was used as a substitute during the warm-up against Norway, but never got a chance to play. Subsequently, before the match between Portugal and Denmark, he learned that he would not be starting and eventually left the national team training camp.
Ronaldo publicly criticized coach Tuchel for not fulfilling his promises. Ronaldo said that Tuchel had previously promised him a 30-minute appearance in the game against Norway, but he did not come off the bench after the warm-up; there was no clarification by the coach at the press conference as per previous agreement regarding the issue.
Resus denied having any agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, but said that if Ronaldo continued to play for the club and was willing to accept a call-up to the national team, he would still consider letting him return.
Ronaldo apologized to fans afterwards, admitting that his departure from the team was not done in a way befitting of supporters and that he is willing to accept punishment from the Football Association.
He also emphasized that he has no intention of leaving the national team. After completing any possible penalties, he is still willing to continue playing for the Portuguese team.
According to Portuguese media reports, the Portuguese Football Association's disciplinary regulations state that players who miss national team training, matches, or related activities without proper reasons may face a suspension of one to six months, and may also be fined.
However, this does not mean that Cristiano Ronaldo will definitely be banned for six months. Portuguese media previously reported that the football association may consider mitigating the penalty based on his past disciplinary record and his contributions to Portuguese football. The final decision regarding the penalty remains subject to a disciplinary procedure.
Portugal Football Federation president Pedro Proença said that all parties within the federation hope for Ronaldo's return to the national team, but the specific punishment will be decided by an independent disciplinary committee.
It is worth noting that this incident did not affect the recent performance of the Portuguese team. The team still managed to win games in which Cristiano Ronaldo was absent or did not get a chance to play. Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced him, also seized the opportunity.
According to a report by Reuters on October 4th, Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 and has already secured a place in the quarter-finals of the European National League. They have maintained a perfect record in their group stage matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Al-Nassr victorious. According to reports, he scored a goal in the match against Al-Diriyah on October 9th, and his total career goals officially reached 980 goals.
For this 41-year-old Portuguese captain, the key issues now are how the disciplinary investigation will conclude and when he will be able to return to play for his national team. Portugal will next face Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17. The final penalty will also affect whether Cristiano Ronaldo can participate in subsequent national team matches.
