Cristiano Ronaldo has been fined €255 ($285.90) and handed a 30-day suspension by the Portuguese Football Federation after walking out on the national team during last month’s UEFA Nations Leaguecampaign.
Portugal have two Nations League matches to come — against Denmark and Wales in November and Ronaldo is set to be eligible for these games.
The 41-year-old left the squad ahead of Portugal‘s clash with Denmark after a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking promises over his playing time, having been left on the bench against Norway.
The fine was the maximum allowable by the federation after mitigating circumstances were taken into account, with the federation adding that Ronaldo’s confession and clean disciplinary record helped to reduce the punishment.
After leaving the squad, Ronaldo posted a statement accusing Jesus of “breaking his word” to him while he also detailed his dispute with the coach.
“To my absolute surprise, the coach asked me whether I was ready to play 30 minutes [against Norway],” Ronaldo said of the incident with Jesus that led to him leaving camp. “I was completely focused on my physical recovery, integrated with my teammates as always, and thinking that I would not play that day. I had no problem with that.
“This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan — because I was only supposed to play on Oct. 4 at the Dragão — but obviously I said yes. He told me to be prepared because I would play 30 minutes.
“Everyone knows what happened next. I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes go by, and was not called upon.
“The coach had broken his word to me.”
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Ronaldo said that he would accept whatever punishment was imposed by Portugal’s Football Federation (FPF) while adding that he still wanted to play for the national team.
The FPF had provisionally suspended the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star and handed down their punishment on Monday.
Ronaldo is the world’s highest paid athlete, per Forbes, earning an estimated $300 million in the last year.
FPF president Pedro Proença has said he still believes Ronaldo is “a key player” for Portugal and is confident the captain will resolve his dispute with Jesus and return to the squad.
“We are in the home of the greatest asset Portuguese football has ever produced: Cristiano Ronaldo, our captain,” he said.
“Our captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, is one of our key pieces.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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