Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward is under disciplinary investigation after recently leaving the national team's training camp following a conflict with head coach Jorge Jesus. How long Ronaldo will have to remain sidelined is not yet known.
The Portuguese federation announced on Friday, 9 October that it had opened official disciplinary proceedings against the captain. The case concerns events reported to the federation on 7 October. Ronaldo will remain provisionally suspended until there is clarity over the final punishment.
In an official statement, the FPF confirmed that its disciplinary department decided on 9 October to open an investigation into Ronaldo's possible violations. The federation stressed that the forward had already been automatically suspended as a preventive measure, and has now also been hit with an additional provisional suspension. It has also given the case urgent status.
Those disciplinary measures stem from Ronaldo's abrupt exit from Portugal's training camp. The veteran clashed with head coach Jorge Jesus after staying on the bench in the 2-1 international win over Norway. According to Ronaldo, the coach had promised beforehand that he would be given about half an hour on the pitch.
Ronaldo did warm up during that match, but he never got on. The forward felt he had not been taken seriously and later said Jesus had also failed to keep a second agreement. According to Ronaldo, the head coach had promised to explain the situation publicly during a press conference.
Tensions then escalated to the point that Ronaldo decided to leave the training camp before Portugal played Denmark. The Portuguese star later released an extensive public statement in which he apologised to his team-mates and the supporters. In it, he acknowledged that his decision to leave the national team could not be without consequences.
Remarkably, Ronaldo himself called for an appropriate punishment in that statement. The captain stressed that his role-model status is precisely why his actions should be judged strictly. He made it clear he was prepared to accept the consequences of his departure, despite his criticism of Jesus's conduct.
Under the disciplinary rules of the Portuguese Football Federation, Ronaldo can receive a suspension of one to six months, possibly combined with a fine. His admission of guilt may be grounds for reducing the final punishment, but nothing has yet been definitively decided.