The disciplinary council of the Portuguese Football Federation has opened disciplinary proceedings against Cristiano Ronaldo, the national team captain, over his departure from the camp during the last international break, 24 hours before the match against Denmark.
The council also provisionally suspended the Al-Nassr captain on a non-automatic basis and classified the case as “urgent”. It marks the first official sanction pending the end of the investigation and the final penalty.
The Portuguese Federation clarified in an official statement, as reported today, Saturday, by Portuguese newspaper “A Bola”, that the decision followed a deliberation issued by the non-professional section yesterday, Friday. The aim is to establish how far disciplinary breaches exist in the facts reported last Wednesday.
Ronaldo, 41, was already subject to automatic provisional suspension until the date the proceedings opened. The council then added a precautionary provisional suspension that does not apply automatically, while granting the file urgent status.
The Federation referred the case today to its disciplinary investigation committee, confirming that the details will remain confidential until the investigation concludes.
Under the Portuguese Federation’s disciplinary regulations, Ronaldo could face a suspension of between one month and six months, plus a financial fine, if his departure from the camp is deemed unjustified.
The regulations stipulate that “any player who, after being lawfully called up, leaves without justification or does not attend a training session, a match, or any national team activity, or anything connected to the sporting representation of the Portuguese Football Federation or Portugal, shall be punished with a suspension ranging between one month and six months, and in addition, if the player is a professional, with a fine ranging between 5 and 10 accounting units”.
With the accounting unit set at 102 euros, the potential financial fine ranges between around 500 and 1,000 euros.
Ronaldo had walked out on the Portuguese camp during the last international break in protest at comments by coach Jorge Jesus. The incident sparked widespread controversy.
He later returned and issued a lengthy statement laying out his version of events, and offered an apology to his teammates and to the Portuguese people.
The Don also demanded a tough sanction, arguing that he is “not an ordinary player, but the national team captain”.
A lengthy suspension, then, will not come as a surprise to him.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese national team’s official social media accounts celebrated Ronaldo’s goal for Al-Nassr against Al-Diriyah in the Saudi Roshn League yesterday, Friday, despite the crisis over his departure from the national team camp.
