Bending the rules for Cristiano Ronaldo is plain WRONG: FIFA is putting the sanctity of the World Cup at stake with suspension decision

Ronaldo promised that he was "going to try to be a good boy" before Portugal's World Cup qualifier with Ireland in Dublin on November 13 - but, with just over an hour of the game gone, and the Seleccao trailing to two unanswered goals from Troy Parrott, the frustrated forward thrust his elbow into the back of Dara O'Shea. Ronaldo was initially issued a yellow card by the match official, but it was rightly upgraded to a red following the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

As is always the case with Ronaldo, nothing is ever his fault, and the blame game began before he'd even made it to the tunnel at the Aviva Stadium, with the 40-year-old first insinuating that O'Shea had made too much of the incident with a crying-eyes gesture before then bizarrely blaming Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson for his dismissal during a heated touchline exchange.

"He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee," revealed the Icelandic, who, in his pre-match press conference, had accused Ronaldo of influencing the officials during the two teams' meeting in Lisbon the month beforehand. "But it had nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head. This was just a moment of a little silliness from him, I would say. It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card."

It should also have cost Ronaldo two games at next summer's World Cup.

Any red card for violent conduct usually brings with it an automatic three-match suspension, meaning Ronaldo should have been suspended not only for his country's final World Cup qualifier against Armenia, on November 16, but also their first two matches at the tournament proper. It was a clear case of serious foul play. The standard sentence should have been a formality.

However, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez initially claimed, "I think the action looks worse than what it actually is. I don't think it's an elbow but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow." 

Then, the Spaniard would change tack, arguing that Ronaldo deserved "credit" rather than criticism for never having previously been sent off at international level.  This fact formed the basis of Portugal's argument against a three-match ban and, incredibly, it worked.

FIFA's disciplinary committee revealed on Tuesday that the final two games of Ronaldo's three-match ban had been suspended for a year - unless he "commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period". In such a scenario, "the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately."

It was a staggering decision, completely unprecedented and yet utterly unsurprising. Indeed, what's truly depressing about the Ronaldo ruling is everybody saw it coming.

There was simply no way FIFA were going to prevent the man with the most social media followers on the planet from playing a full part in their flagship event. He's just too important to the brand, as illustrated by the presence of Ronaldo at a White House dinner last week alongside his 'boss', Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Infantino and U.S. president Donald Trump.

As a result, FIFA was seemingly left with no option but to make a mockery of its own disciplinary committee, because it would have been a lot more difficult to do commercial deals and sell match tickets without Ronaldo, the most famous face in the world, fronting every possible advertising campaign. 

FIFA's determination to stack their competitions full of stars explains why they've made it easier than ever for the nations with the biggest TV audiences to qualify for the World Cup by expanding the finals to 48 participants, thus running the risk of diluting the quality while increasing revenue streams. It's also worth remembering the failed attempt to try and shoehorn Ronaldo into the Club World Cup by having him sign for one of the participants on a short-term deal, such was the desperation for him to join Messi in gracing the tournament.

It was also telling that on the same day Ronaldo was given a reprieve, FIFA also announced that for the first time ever the top-four seeded countries at the tournament - Spain, Argentina, France and England - will be kept apart until the semi-finals if they all win their respective groups - a flagrant attempt to avoid any of the nations with the biggest fanbases from suffering an earlier-than-expected elimination (just as UEFA did with the Champions League many, many years ago).

It begs the question: If it's not broken, why fix it?

There is some scope for a national federation or player to challenge the Ronaldo ruling - or even just cite it as a precedent as they appeal against a future ban for violent conduct. Someone sent off in the World Cup play-offs could well immediately move to have their mandatory suspension overturned on the grounds of prior good behaviour.

In that sense, perhaps FIFA have opened a can of worms here that could end up making a real mess - and it is worth mentioning that the special treatment Ronaldo has received has provoked outrage among supporters all across the globe.

Despite the outcries of anger at the Ronaldo decision, that's likely to be forgotten about soon and replaced by anticipation, as the build-up begins to the greatest show on earth, starting with the group-stage draw in Washington D.C. on December 5.

FIFA have essentially ignored their own rulebook to suit themselves - and one very important player. Ronaldo now needs to hold up his end of the bargain and continue to be a 'good boy' going forward.