Portugal provisionally suspends Ronaldo as disciplinary proceedings begin
In short
The Portuguese Football Federation announced on October 10 that Cristiano Ronaldo was provisionally suspended from national-team matches as disciplinary proceedings began over his departure from the squad. Japanese reports said the final penalty had not been announced.
Read the full story 1 min read
The Portuguese Football Federation announced on October 10 that it had begun disciplinary proceedings against Cristiano Ronaldo and imposed a provisional suspension, Japanese news outlets reported. Nikkei said the suspension applies to national-team matches. Mynavi News and Yahoo! News Japan reported that the case had been referred to a disciplinary investigation committee following an October 9 decision by the federation's non-professional division. The federation described the case as urgent and said an automatic provisional measure applied before any further penalty. The final sanction had not been announced. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The reports said Ronaldo did not play in Portugal's September 27 UEFA Nations League match against Norway and stopped attending group training the following day. He left the national squad on September 30. Nikkei described his departure as related to the coach's selection decisions and other concerns. On October 6, Ronaldo posted a lengthy social-media statement saying that his international career had not ended and apologizing to teammates for leaving camp. He said the federation should assess and punish his actions and that his position as captain should increase, rather than reduce, his responsibility. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Mynavi News and Yahoo! News Japan said disciplinary details would remain confidential until the investigation was completed. They described the 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward as having made 234 Portugal appearances and scored 146 goals. Nikkei reported that federation rules prescribe suspensions of one to six months for players who abandon national-team duty. It also said Ronaldo had indicated the possibility of returning to the national team after serving a penalty. The supplied reports do not identify a final sanction or a date for his return. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The proceedings affect Ronaldo's availability for Portugal after he said he had not ended his international career. Nikkei reported that federation rules provide for suspensions of one to six months for abandoning national-team duty.
Key facts
- The federation announced disciplinary proceedings and provisional suspension on October 10. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The reports say Ronaldo left the national-team camp on September 30. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Ronaldo apologized to teammates in an October 6 social-media statement and said he would accept disciplinary consequences. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The final penalty and when Ronaldo may return. The reports say the final sanction has not been announced and the disciplinary details remain confidential pending completion of the investigation.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Nikkei's October 11 report relayed the federation's October 10 disciplinary announcement. [ 3 ]