Cristiano Ronaldo's exit continues to reverberate around the world. The Al-Nassr star stormed out of Portugal's camp in anger, and the fallout shows no sign of dying down.
According to AS, Portugal manager Jorge Jesus tried to play the matter down at his pre-match press conference before the UEFA Nations League clash with Norway. He failed.
Tensions ran so high that the head of the Portuguese national team's media centre stepped in and shut down any further questions about Ronaldo.
Jesus said: "I will not say anything. Ronaldo is a symbol of the Portuguese national team. Let that be absolutely clear. After the Norway match, we will have an opportunity to talk about this matter."
He added: "What matters is the match, the Norway match. That is the one we have to play well in front of our fans, and our goal is to win. Do not allow me to ignore this matter."
Ronaldo dominated proceedings from the off. The nearly 50 journalists in attendance kept circling back to him, and Jesus did his best to sidestep each one.
Jesus said: "I will focus on what I said, on the team and the opponent. Norway is one of the five best national teams in Europe, and it includes great players. We have to focus on this matter, and that is exactly the issue at the moment. After that, we will have an opportunity to analyse what might happen here. We have to think about the group standings tomorrow."
With Ronaldo stepping aside, Portugal's supporters wanted to thank the player for almost three decades of service. One question turned to the kind of reception the manager himself might get before the Norway match.
Jesus answered: "The affection I seek and that I like to receive does not go beyond what the national team represents. The affection is for the team and the players, not for me. I am part of a team, and I am a team's manager. It is all about the support the fans give to the national team. I care about my country and about my country's flag."
By the fourth question on the same subject, patience had run dry on the Portuguese side. "Talking to Cristiano on the phone?" Jesus said. "I do not want to have anything to do with anything that is not related to the national team."
At that point the media chief stepped in to close the door on the saga gripping Portugal, saying: "Jesus has already said, regarding the subject of Cristiano, that he will talk about it after tomorrow's match."