Ronaldo provisionally suspended by Portuguese FA after walkout — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Portuguese Football Federation provisionally suspended Cristiano Ronaldo on 9 October after the 41-year-old captain walked out of Portugal's Nations League squad in September, having been an unused substitute in the win over Norway
- Ronaldo published a lengthy statement accusing coach Jorge Jesus of twice 'breaking his word' — an 'absolute breach of trust' — after learning he would not start against Denmark, and apologized while accepting he deserved punishment
- FPF rules mandate a ban of one to six months plus a fine for any player who fails to appear or walks out on international duty
- FPF president Pedro Proenc told Portuguese outlet Record there is 'a strong desire to have our captain back' and that the disciplinary process will proceed normally
- Ronaldo said he will not retire from international football as he chases 1,000 career goals, holding men's world records of 146 goals in 234 Portugal appearances
- Portuguese journalist Jose Manuel Delgado told BBC Radio 5 Live that polls show only 15% of Portuguese sided with Ronaldo, saying his time in the national team 'is already done' and that at 41 he has no place in Portugal's best XI
Why it matters: Ronaldo's provisional suspension puts the all-time men's international leading scorer in line for a one-to-six-month ban at exactly the moment he is chasing 1,000 career goals, and the fallout exposes a stark legitimacy gap — Delgado reports only 15% of Portuguese fans back him — that could accelerate the end of a 234-cap international career built on Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles.
Ask SkimNews
