The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has provisionally suspended Cristiano Ronaldo after the veteran forward left the national team camp following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.
The federation confirmed the decision on Saturday and announced that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old captain. Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp earlier this week after becoming frustrated with Jesus over his playing time during the international break.
The disagreement reportedly began after the coach failed to honour an agreement over how many minutes Ronaldo would play. The forward later accused Jesus of breaking his word and admitted that leaving the camp was a mistake.
According to a statement published by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, the federation opened disciplinary proceedings on October 9 to examine the events of October 7. Ronaldo had already faced an automatic provisional suspension under federation rules. The disciplinary body has now imposed a further provisional suspension while the investigation continues.
The case was referred to the FPF’s Disciplinary Investigation Committee on October 10. The federation also ordered that no further details of the proceedings be made public until the investigation ends. Ronaldo could face a suspension ranging from one to six months, depending on the outcome of the disciplinary process.
A ban lasting more than a month could rule him out of Portugal’s Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales next month. However, ESPN reported that a shorter suspension appears more likely.
Ronaldo had already issued a lengthy public apology for leaving the national team without permission. He accepted responsibility for his actions but maintained that Jesus had failed to keep his promise.
“I also owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp. Despite the absolute breach of trust in the coach’s word, as those who witnessed these conversations can attest, I should not have done it,” Ronaldo said.
“The responsibility is exclusively mine. I apologise to the Portuguese people once again, but the breaking of one’s word has, for me, a defining impact.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward explained that he believed remaining with the squad would only create further problems.
“I felt that, from that point on, my remaining would only harm the working group, and I did what I have always said I would do if I did not feel useful: I packed my bags and left,” he added.
Despite the controversy, Ronaldo returned to club football with Al-Nassr and scored in their 3-0 victory over Al-Diriyah.
The goal took his career tally to 980, leaving him just 20 short of the historic 1,000-goal mark.
However, his international future now faces fresh uncertainty as Portugal’s disciplinary authorities prepare to decide the length of his suspension.
The federation will consider the circumstances surrounding his departure, including his public apology, before reaching a final decision.
