The Portuguese Football Federation thought it had contained the Cristiano Ronaldo crisis. Instead, the lenient punishment handed to the national team captain has triggered a wave of mockery and criticism, and opened a new chapter of tension. Fears are growing that attempts to appease the veteran star could spiral into a bigger crisis, one that may end with his refusal to return to the national team at all.
Ronaldo, 41, sparked widespread controversy when he left the Portugal camp on 30 September, a day before the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark. Jorge Jesus's men coped with the absence of their captain and secured a 4-2 victory, but the fallout stretched well beyond the pitch. The sharp statements the player aimed at his coach left the Portuguese Federation in a highly sensitive position.
Its disciplinary committee then announced the verdict. Finding Ronaldo guilty of deliberately committing a disciplinary offence under Article 160, paragraph one, of the applicable regulations, the committee suspended the captain for 30 days and fined him 255 euros. The leniency of the punishment, set against the scale of the crisis, caused widespread astonishment.
According to the Portuguese press, counting the suspension from the date of the incident on 30 September leaves Ronaldo with only about ten days of the ban still to serve. That could allow him to return during November's gathering, ahead of the matches against Denmark on 14 November and Wales on the 17th.
The irony did not stop at the length of the suspension. Weigh the 255-euro fine against the fortune Ronaldo earns at Al-Nassr and it looks almost symbolic. Estimates put his annual income at around 200 million euros, which makes the sum a tiny fraction of his earnings. Observers mocked the punishment as wholly disproportionate to the conduct attributed to the national team captain.
According to the Portuguese newspaper "O Jogo", the disciplinary committee weighed several factors in the player's favour. These included his major contributions to football, recognition of his sporting achievements, and his clean disciplinary record with the Federation over the current season and the three previous ones. The justifications did nothing to quell the criticism. Instead they raised questions about whether the Federation had chosen to protect its relationship with its biggest star over imposing stricter measures.
Anger in Portugal: Ronaldo in the firing line
The punishment did not go unnoticed in sporting circles. Former Portugal international Luís Figo tore into the decision, arguing that it offered no deterrence and sent the wrong message to the rest of the squad.
Speaking in comments reported by the French website "Foot Mercato", Figo said: "Who isn't surprised? I can find no other description but ridiculous. We were expecting a deterrent punishment so that this mistake would not be repeated, especially when it concerns the national team captain. And I don't think this is in the interest of the rest of the players. It is a trivial measure, with no meaning."
The German newspaper "Bild" seized on the same point, calling the outcome an extremely lenient decision that reinforced the impression Ronaldo had escaped the crisis with the least possible damage.
Caught between local criticism and external mockery, the Portuguese Federation found itself badly embarrassed. The punishment meant to close the chapter had become fresh material for controversy, and the relationship between Ronaldo and national team officials still raises plenty of questions.
Ronaldo refuses to communicate: the Federation fears the worst
The lenient punishment may clear the way for Ronaldo's return in November, but the trickiest part of the crisis lies with the player himself. Reports point to a waning desire to come back and a collapse of trust between him and Federation officials.
Rui Santos, a programme presenter on the "CNN Portugal" network, revealed worrying developments about the captain's future, suggesting the player may prefer to stay away rather than return under the current circumstances.
Santos said: "Cristiano Ronaldo prefers not to be called up to the national team. He will certainly not return to the national team, as he does not feel he owes anyone anything." He added that Ronaldo believes he was mistreated, remains convinced he never got the full truth, and feels betrayed.
Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, is trying to reach Ronaldo almost daily, the media figure pointed out, firing off messages designed to open a dialogue and convince him the dispute can be resolved.
So far those attempts have fallen flat, according to Santos, with Ronaldo having lost faith in Federation officials and seeing little value in talking to them.
The Federation now faces a complex equation. Despite the reduced punishment and the stepped-up attempts to reach its historic captain, Ronaldo's return is no longer guaranteed. The disciplinary crisis may yet deepen into a dispute that threatens his relationship with the national team.
Between a punishment that provoked mockery and the ongoing fight to restore trust, one question towers over the rest. Will Ronaldo return to Portugal, or choose escalation and leave the Federation to face the fallout of a crisis still far from over?