The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for 30 days and fined him €255 (US$286) for leaving the national team’s training camp without permission following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.
The federation’s disciplinary council upheld the charges against the 41-year-old captain, who left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen on September 30, one day before the team’s UEFA Nations League match against Denmark.
In its ruling, the council found that Ronaldo had deliberately committed a disciplinary offence under Article 160(1) of the federation’s disciplinary regulations.
“The decision was made to impose a 30-day suspension, in addition to a fine of 2.5 accounting units, equivalent to €255,” the federation said.
Ronaldo had been subject to an automatic provisional suspension since leaving the camp on September 30. The federation formally initiated disciplinary proceedings on October 9 and imposed a further provisional suspension before referring the case for investigation the following day.
However, the announcement did not clarify whether the period Ronaldo had already served under provisional suspension would count towards his 30-day ban.
Ronaldo’s departure reportedly followed a disagreement with Jesus over his role in the national team. The veteran forward had remained on the bench without playing when Portugal beat Norway 2-1 on September 27.
In a lengthy statement following the incident, Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking a promise regarding his playing time. However, he also apologised for leaving the national team’s training camp without authorisation.
The forward said the FPF should determine the appropriate punishment for his actions and stressed that he had never considered retiring from international football.
