Cristiano Ronaldo will serve a 30-day suspension and pay a €255 fine for leaving Portugal’s national team camp without permission in late September. The federation confirmed the sanction on Monday evening, closing the disciplinary case that had been opened on 9 October.
Because the ban runs from 30 September, the day the 41 year old left the squad’s base in Copenhagen before a UEFA Nations League match against Denmark, Ronaldo becomes available again on 14 November. That is when Portugal play their next international, with Nations League fixtures against Denmark on 14 November and Wales on 17 November.
The rulebook left room for six months
Under the federation’s disciplinary code, a national team player who abandons or fails to appear at team activity without justification shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months, plus a fine. Portugal picked the floor on both counts.
The €255 figure drew the sharpest reactions. Yardbarker called the penalty particularly low given the player’s salary, and in a Yahoo Sports summary of the ruling, the fine was compared to a Paris transit penalty. Ronaldo’s salary at Al Nassr is reported in the hundreds of thousands of euros per day.
The warm-up in Copenhagen
The row traces back to Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway days before the walkout. Ronaldo was an unused substitute and later said head coach Jorge Jesus had told him he would get around half an hour, waved him to warm up during the match and then never sent him on. Ronaldo also claimed Jesus had promised to publicly explain the decision at the post-match press conference and failed to do so.
Jesus has denied agreeing to anything of the sort.
Ronaldo left the camp before the Denmark fixture, which Portugal went on to win 4-2. In a lengthy public statement he apologized to teammates and supporters, called the exit a mistake and said the federation should impose a punishment. The disciplinary ruling cites Article 160(1) of the regulations, finding he had intentionally committed an offence.
Jesus still decides who plays
The suspension expiring on 14 November does not put Ronaldo back in the squad on its own. Jesus, in charge since July on a contract that runs to 2030, still decides who he calls up. He has not committed publicly to recalling his captain, and Ronaldo himself said in the apology statement that he remained available for selection whenever the federation chose to call on him.
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Portugal host Denmark in Lisbon on 14 November and travel to Wales three days later. From the day the ban lifts, Ronaldo is eligible for both.
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