Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended after the Portuguese football federation opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old, following his decision to walk out on the national team.
The action comes after Ronaldo apologised to supporters on Tuesday while criticising the Portugal coach, Jorge Jesus, and said he would serve any “suspension that is imposed” on him.
Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that the FPF confirmed disciplinary proceedings had been opened. “Without prejudice to the automatic preventive suspension to which he was subject until the date of initiation, a non-automatic preventive suspension of the player was determined, and the proceedings were given urgent status,” the federation was quoted as saying.
Ronaldo has since given his account of the dispute that prompted his departure from Copenhagen before Portugal’s Nations League match against Denmark last week. He said Jesus had agreed a plan under which the forward would miss the Norway and Denmark matches in order to manage his fitness, but that on the day of the Norway game the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes.
“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said. “The manager had broken his word to me.”