The Portuguese Football Federation opened a disciplinary process against Cristiano Ronaldo for leaving the national team camp on September 30, after a disagreement with coach Jorge Jesus. The 41-year-old striker is under preventive suspension while the Disciplinary Instruction Commission determines the possible consequences of his behavior.
The organization announced that the procedure will be urgent and will be responsible for establishing whether it is appropriate to impose a sanction on the Portuguese captain, who has already publicly acknowledged his responsibility and apologized for what happened.
“It is the normal procedure,” said the president of the Portuguese Federation, Pedro Proença, during the inauguration of a training center in Porto. The leader also asked for “calm and serenity” and expressed the hope that the team can recover its captain as soon as possible.
The disagreement with Jorge Jesus
The controversy began on September 30, on the eve of the Nations League match against Denmark, which Portugal won 4-2. Ronaldo left the camp after Jorge Jesus confirmed that he would not start for the second consecutive game.
In the previous match against Norway, the forward did not play a single minute, despite having warmed up for more than half an hour. As the footballer himself later explained, the coach had asked him if he was prepared to play 30 minutes and he had accepted the proposal, but in the end he did not enter the field.
Ronaldo assured that both had agreed that Jorge Jesus would offer explanations at a press conference before the next match. However, the Portuguese considered that the coach did not keep his word and decided to leave the concentration.
Cristiano Ronaldo apologizes and accepts a possible sanction
On October 6, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner published a statement in which he acknowledged that his decision had been a mistake and apologized to both his teammates and Portuguese fans.
“I owe an apology to my teammates for having abandoned the concentration,” wrote the forward, who also admitted that his status as captain made what happened more serious.
Cristiano defended that his behavior should have consequences and made it clear that he was willing to accept the sanction determined by the Federation.
“I am not just any player, I am the captain of the team and that constitutes an aggravating factor,” he said in his message.
The attacker also left the door open to continue defending Portugal, by ensuring that he will be available once the sanction imposed on him has been served, as long as he is in good physical condition and maintains his performance with his club.
Jorge Jesus hopes to have his captain
For his part, the Portuguese coach tried to reduce the tension after the team managed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Nations League.
Jorge Jesus stated that Ronaldo will be called up for the next international window, although he acknowledged that the two could talk before making a final decision.
“We can talk before the next call, but Cris is the one who will decide,” explained the coach, who also described the forward as a world reference.
The resolution of the disciplinary file will now determine the consequences of Cristiano’s departure from the concentration. Meanwhile, the Federation and the coaching staff keep open the possibility of recovering normality and having the captain of Portugal again in his next international commitments.
