Portugal Opens Disciplinary Case Against Ronaldo, Faces Potential Ban

Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for walking out of the national team camp following a row with boss Jorge Jesus.

New Telegraph reports that the Portuguese Football Federation rules have automatically triggered a suspension.

A disciplinary council will now decide on the length of the ban that Ronaldo will have to serve, which could be anything between one and six months.

Reports say that anything longer than a month would see Ronaldo ruled out of his nation’s Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Wales next month.

The disciplinary council will now consider all aspects, including Ronaldo’s apology when assessing a potential ban, albeit ESPN has suggested that a shorter ban is more likely.

New Telegraph recalls that Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen on September 30, hours after Jesus publicly contradicted the version of events the pair had agreed in private, having been left on the bench for the entire 2-1 win over Norway three days earlier.

In a near-2,000-word statement published this week, Ronaldo apologised to his teammates and the Portuguese people, accepted full responsibility for his walkout and demanded to be punished without any mitigating factors, arguing that being captain is an aggravating factor rather than an excuse.

Under Article 160 of the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary regulations, an unjustified abandonment of national team duty carries a suspension of between one and six months, plus a fine of between 500 and 1,000 euros for professional players.

Ronaldo, who has scored 146 goals in a record 234 appearances for Portugal, has stressed he will be available for selection again once any suspension is served.

Boss Jesus responded in the aftermath and said: “I read the statement and now I do (like I do) every day. I’m going to the federation to work, think about the team.”