Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to accept his the punishment of a suspension after walking away from the national camp abruptly on September 30, following disagreements with coach Jorge Jesus. But a recent report in the Portuguese press indicates a stunning twist: the penalty could be reduced to just 15 days, implying he might be available during the next international break.
reports have confirmed that Ronaldo is facing not only a suspension but also a fine under the regulations While the Portuguese Football Federation has yet to release an official statement on the matter. However, a legal expert, Gonçalo Almeida, speaking to Portuguese media outlet, ‘A Bola’ revealed that the suspension began right at the moment he left the national camp late last month. He apologised to the fans and to his teammates, and even called for sanctions to be imposed against him. several factors were outlined which could favour the Portugal captain Although he explained that the sanctions are inevitable.
Ronaldo issued a statement on Tuesday, revealing the reasons behind his actions in Copenhagen.
Almeida spoke in reference to Article 160 of the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary regulations.
The rule states that a player who “is regularly called up, is absent, or fails to attend without justification a training session, a match, or an activity of the national teams or related to the sporting representation of the Portuguese Football Federation or Portugal, shall be punished with a suspension of between one month and six months, in addition to a fine”. He explained that while the first portion of the rule is categorical in applying the sanctions, the second states that “absence or abandonment of play leads to the automatic precautionary suspension of the player”. Almeida, who is also a FIFA judge, thus explained that Ronaldo is therefore “already suspended from participating in or representing the national team”. Ronaldo’s explanation on social media on leaving the camp before the match against Denmark will work in his favour, according to the legal expert. This hinges on Article 244 of the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary regulations, which states that “the accused may, at any time, admit the facts subject to the proceedings”, and “if the admission is complete and without reservations, and does not raise doubts about its credibility, no further evidentiary measures are carried out, and the minimum and maximum of the applicable sanctions are reduced by half”. Almeida further explained that with Ronaldo having clarified his stance on the entire decision, “without any reservations,” the disciplinary board could reduce his penalty to half. “In the best-case scenario for the national team captain, the minimum sanction of one month and 510 euros would become a suspension of 15 days and a fine of 255 euros,” he added.
