Cristiano Ronaldo has been temporarily suspended from participating in matches: The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old footballer after he decided to leave the national team camp, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.
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On Tuesday, Ronaldo apologized to fans while criticizing Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, and said he was ready to serve any suspension imposed on him as punishment.
"Disciplinary proceedings against Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro were initiated on the basis of a decision by the unit responsible for amateur football, adopted on October 9, 2026," the FPF said in a statement released on Saturday.
Ronaldo gave his own account of the conflict that led to his departure from Copenhagen before last week's Nations League match against Denmark.
According to Ronaldo, Jesus had agreed to a plan under which the forward would miss the matches against Norway and Denmark in order to maintain optimal physical fitness. However, on the day of the match against Norway, the coach told him that he had to play for 30 minutes.
"Everyone knows the rest. I had been warming up since the start of the second half and kept track of the time, but I was never sent onto the pitch," Ronaldo said. "The coach did not keep his word."
Ronaldo revealed the reason for leaving Portugal's training camp07.10.26, 04:53
In the matches in which Ronaldo remained on the bench or was absent, Portugal won three games, while the player who replaced him—Gonçalo Ramos—seized his opportunity by scoring three goals. Portugal will play its next Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales in November.
Ronaldo ended the international break with a lengthy post for his 679 million Instagram followers, in which he called on Jesus to acknowledge his mistake: the coach made him warm up by the touchline but never sent him onto the pitch in the match against Norway. The Portugal coach did not admit his mistake.
Ronaldo wrote that he expected to be suspended in accordance with the federation's rules, but promised fans: "We will still have one or several farewell matches." He has already returned to his Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and scored in their 3–0 victory over Diriyah on Friday.