Cristiano Ronaldo Could Face a Suspension of up to Three Months After Leaving the Portugal National Team

The Portuguese captain was provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation, the disciplinary file could result in a sanction.

The possible suspension for Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo faces a suspension of between one and three months for leaving the Portuguese national team's training camp after his disagreements with the coach, Jorge Jesus, a decision that has sparked a storm in his country.

The captain of Portugal is provisionally suspended while the Disciplinary Instruction Commission of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) resolves the case opened against him on the 10th.

The process is "urgent," according to the FPF. Article 160 of the entity's disciplinary regulations provides for a suspension of between one and six months, in addition to a minimum fine of 510 euros for professional footballers.

Cristiano acknowledged his mistake and accepted a possible sanction in an extensive statement issued on October 6, which could reduce the maximum duration of the punishment from six to three months.

"I'm not just any player, I'm the team captain and that constitutes an aggravating circumstance. I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences," wrote the former Madrid striker.

The regulations of the Portuguese Federation also establish an automatic preventive suspension after the abandonment, which in this case occurred on September 30. That period will be deducted from the sanction, so Cristiano could return for the next matches in November if he receives the minimum punishment.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, abruptly left the training camp on September 30 due to disagreements with Jesus, after the coach did not include him in the match against Norway held in Oslo on the 27th of that same month (1-2).

According to the footballer, the disagreement was because Jesus made him warm up for half an hour and then didn't let him onto the field.

Carvalho, the precedent

Cristiano's departure has a precedent in the Portuguese national team: in 2011, Ricardo Carvalho, then a central defender for Real Madrid, left the camp on the eve of a match due to disagreements with the coach at that time, Paulo Bento.

Carvalho, currently one of Portugal's assistant coaches, received a one-year sanction. The punishment was not harsher "considering the player's sports career," the FPF wrote at the time.

On that occasion, Cristiano was blunt regarding his Madrid teammate: "No one has a guaranteed spot on the national team; there are no spots for some and not for others. The one who is better, that is the one who will play."

Open doors for the return

Despite the controversy, the doors of the national team remain open for Cristiano Ronaldo.

"If he is playing and wants to be in the national team, he will return whenever he wants, why not?" affirmed coach Jorge Jesus on the 4th in statements to the Portuguese channel RTP.

For his part, the president of the FPF, Pedro Proença, assured that the desire for Cristiano to return "is collective."

"There is a will expressed by everyone. This includes the Federation, the president of the FPF, the coach, the captain, and the players. All of us, without exception, want to be together again in November," he stated on the 10th.

The Portuguese Federation, moreover, continues to praise Cristiano's achievements amid the controversy.

Late on Monday, the official accounts of the national team shared a photograph of their captain in the Portugal jersey to highlight the goal he scored with his club, Saudi Al Nassr, in the victory over Uzbekistan's Neftchi (3-1) in the Asian Champions League. EFE