Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese football federation (FPF), which has opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old after he walked out on the national team, according to The Guardian.
The federation confirmed the proceedings to the Portuguese newspaper A Bola. The Guardian reports that Ronaldo apologised to supporters on Tuesday while also criticising Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, and said he would accept any suspension handed to him.
The dispute stemmed from Ronaldo's departure from Copenhagen before Portugal's Nations League fixture against Denmark last week.
Why it matters
Ronaldo is the most prominent figure in Portuguese football, and a formal federation case against him is an unusual step for a player of his standing. The outcome will shape both his international future and the team's preparations, and it has already become one of the most discussed stories in the Portuguese game.
The federation described the case as urgent. According to the wording quoted by A Bola, Ronaldo was already subject to an automatic preventive suspension up to the date the proceedings began, and the FPF then determined a further non-automatic preventive suspension while the case moves forward.
Ronaldo's account of the dispute
Ronaldo has given his own version of the events that led him to leave the squad. He said Jesus had agreed to a plan under which he would sit out the matches against Norway and Denmark in order to manage his fitness.
On the day of the Norway game, however, Ronaldo says the coach told him he would be used for 30 minutes. In his account, he warmed up from half-time onwards but was never brought on.
"The manager had broken his word to me," Ronaldo said, describing the coach's change of plan as the reason for his frustration.
The Guardian reports that Ronaldo apologised to fans while making his criticism of Jesus public. He also indicated he would serve whatever suspension is imposed on him.
A turbulent stretch for Portuguese football
Coverage of the episode has stretched beyond the initial walkout. The New York Times framed the sequence of events as ten days that shook Portuguese football, linking Ronaldo's situation with Jesus in a single unfolding story. Goal.com reported that Ronaldo now faces the possibility of a six-month ban, a far longer absence than the provisional measure currently in place.
The exact length of any final sanction has not been confirmed. What is clear is that the FPF has moved quickly: the proceedings carry urgent status, and Ronaldo is barred from selection while the preventive suspension stands.
For Portugal, the practical effect is immediate. The squad must plan without its most experienced attacker for as long as the case runs, and the federation's decision signals that it is treating the walkout as a disciplinary matter rather than an internal team issue.
For Ronaldo, the case raises questions about how his international career ends. He has already apologised publicly and accepted that a punishment may follow, but the scope of that punishment rests with the federation's disciplinary process.
What happens next depends on the FPF's proceedings, which have been given urgent status. The length of any final ban, and whether Ronaldo plays for Portugal again, are the two things to watch.
