Portugal suspends Ronaldo over walkout

LISBON, Portugal (AP):

The Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for walking out on the national team and has launched disciplinary proceedings against him.

The case has been referred to the federation’s disciplinary investigation committee, and its findings will remain confidential until the process is completed, the federation said in a statement yesterday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo left the Portugal camp during the international window following a dispute with new coach Jorge Jesus over his lack of playing time in the Nations League.

In the three matches in which Ronaldo was either an unused substitute or absent, Portugal won, while his replacement, Gonçalo Ramos, seized his opportunity by scoring three goals.

Ronaldo featured only in Portugal’s opening Nations League match, a 1-0 win over Wales, before being replaced by Ramos. He left the squad after watching the second match, a 2-1 win over Norway, from the substitutes’ bench. Portugal showed no ill effects from his departure, recording victories over Denmark and Norway to secure a quarter-final place.

Ronaldo ended the international break with a lengthy post to his 679 million followers on Instagram, in which he urged the Portugal coach to acknowledge a mistake in asking him to warm up on the sidelines in Oslo and then not sending him on.

Jesus did not acknowledge any mistake.

The star said he expected a suspension under federation rules but promised fans that “we will have one or more farewell matches”.

Ronaldo could face a significant punishment for leaving the training camp. The federation’s disciplinary regulations state that any player who “abandons or fails to appear” without justification at a training session, match or national team activity “shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months”, in addition to a fine.

Ronaldo did inform the federation that he was leaving, but it remains unclear whether his decision will be deemed justified under the regulations.

“I have already apologised, but I know that actions must have consequences,” Ronaldo wrote in his statement.

“Anyone in football as I am knows that, regardless of each person’s status, the rules are the same for everyone.”