Cristiano Ronaldo, a star of Portuguese football, is to serve a 30-day ban from the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) following a row with head coach Jorge Jesus and his departure from the Portugal Football camp.
The federation’s disciplinary council ruled that all charges against Ronaldo were justified and that he should be fined 255 euros for breaking the rules, according to media reports.
Ronaldo’s departure from the team camp ahead of the Denmark Nations League game earlier this month sparked the dispute, according to British news agency Reuters. Previously, he was listed as a stand-in, rather than a starter, in his team’s squad against Norway.
Ronaldo stated that coach Jorge Jesus had broken his word after he was left out of the squad for the game against Norway, in the process breaching his commitment to him.
The coach, however, said there is no formal deal in place but said he didn’t rule out the return of Ronaldo in the future.
After the disciplinary committee investigated, it was revealed that Ronaldo had broken the federation’s rules. The federation did not state which matches would be impacted by the suspension, but the action is to ensure discipline.
After the incident, Ronaldo himself apologised to the fans as well as his teammates, stating that he would be back at the training camp representing the national team after his suspension.
In the meantime, the Portuguese Football Federation president, Pedro Proença, also voiced his hope that Ronaldo would soon be playing for the national team again when the issue is resolved.
Ronaldo has also played 234 games for Portugal and is all-time top scorer with 146 goals.
Despite such an outstanding record, a dispute could affect his reputation, but his public apology has helped ease the situation considerably.