Lisbon: The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has officially issued a 30-day suspension to following his sudden departure from the national team camp during the UEFA Nations League on September 30. Alongside the ban, the 41-year-old forward was fined 255 euros ($286).
The disciplinary measure handed down by the FPF represents the minimum sanction allowed under federation regulations, which mandate bans ranging from one to six months for unauthorised departures. According to the FPF disciplinary committee, the decision reflected “the remorse shown in the statement” published by Ronaldo on October 6, where he acknowledged his mistake and confirmed his readiness to serve a penalty.
The fallout began after Ronaldo was instructed to warm up as a substitute during Portugal’s match against Norway on September 27 but was never brought onto the pitch. Shortly after learning he would also be omitted from the starting XI for the October 1 clash against Denmark, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star walked out of the squad.
Following his departure, Ronaldo publicly criticised national team manager Jorge Jesus, claiming the head coach had broken a commitment regarding his playing time.
“I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” Ronaldo posted on social media.
Ronaldo explained that Jesus went back on an agreement to sub him on against Norway and subsequently failed to mention agreed-upon points in a pre-match press conference before facing Denmark. Among those pre-approved points was his assertion that Jesus had “made a mistake in asking someone of the stature of Pele or Maradona to warm up and then not sending him on in the match”.
Responding to the dispute days later, Jesus clarified that he remains open to calling up Portugal’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, provided he continues playing for his Saudi club, Al Nassr, and maintains an interest in representing the country.
Since the incident, Portugal maintained a perfect record, winning four consecutive Nations League fixtures in Ronaldo’s absence to secure qualification for the quarter-finals with two games to spare.
Because the 30-day ban was backdated to October 1-the date of the Denmark fixture-Ronaldo has already completed 19 days of his suspension and will be eligible to return before the end of October. He will be clear to play when Portugal wrap up their Nations League Group A4 campaign against Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17.
Ronaldo did not directly address the FPF’s formal announcement, but updated his followers on social media with a photo preparing for a training session at Al Nassr, captioned: “Putting in the work”.