Portuguese FA provisionally suspends Cristiano Ronaldo and opens disciplinary probe

The Portuguese Football Federation has provisionally suspended the national team captain and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo after opening disciplinary proceedings against him following his departure from the national team camp.

Ronaldo, 41, left the camp before the match against Denmark in the Nations League after a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo accused his coach of not honoring promises about the number of minutes he would play, after being kept on the bench during the match against Norway.

Ronaldo later apologized to his teammates and the fans, admitting he should not have left the camp. He asked the Portuguese Football Federation to punish him for his conduct, said he would accept any sanction, and affirmed that he wants to continue playing for the national team.

The Portuguese Federation confirmed on Saturday that it had opened disciplinary proceedings and referred the case to the disciplinary inquiry committee. The federation said in a statement: "It was decided to open disciplinary proceedings against Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, pursuant to a decision issued by the Disciplinary Committee on 9 October 2026." It added that Ronaldo was initially subject to an automatic provisional suspension, before an additional provisional suspension was imposed, and that the case was given urgent status.

No final sanction has been announced yet, and the details of the disciplinary proceedings will remain confidential until the investigation is concluded.

Ronaldo returned to action with his club Al-Nassr on Friday after the international break and scored the opening goal in a 3-0 victory over Al-Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League.