The Portuguese Federation has begun the process of disqualifying Ronaldo

The Disciplinary Committee of the Portuguese Football Federation has officially launched the process of suspending Cristiano Ronaldo. This was reported by Sport-Express with reference to the Mirror.

The reason was the unauthorized departure of the 41-year-old striker from the national team after a conflict with head coach Jorge Jesus. On September 27, Ronaldo did not play in the Nations League match against Norway (2:1), and on October 1, he left the national team after Jesus’ press conference before the game with Denmark.

Disciplinary proceedings have been opened under Article 160 of the Federation's Disciplinary Regulations. According to the document, a player who leaves a training session, match or event of the national team without a valid reason is punishable by disqualification for a period of one to six months. Additionally, a professional football player may be fined from 510 to 1020 euros.

In an interview with A Bola, Portuguese lawyer Gonçalo Almeida is quoted as saying: “There should be a case initiated by the Federation’s Disciplinary Council in which […] Cristiano will be notified and given the opportunity to express his position, after which a decision will be made, which I believe will be made quite quickly.”

The conflict broke out after Jesus publicly stated that he did not guarantee Ronaldo a place in the team's starting lineup. The forward made an official statement on October 6, accusing the coach of violating personal agreements. According to The Athletic, the football player agreed on the statement in advance with the federation and does not want to go against it.