(CNN) - Portugal national team coach Jorge Jesus denied that he had apologized to star Cristiano Ronaldo for not participating in the Norway match, describing the reports about that as “false,” but at the same time he stressed that the door remains open for Ronaldo to join the national team in the next international break.
During a press conference following a match in which Portugal beat Norway by two goals to one, and in which Jesus was subjected to media pressure to talk about his crisis with Ronaldo, the Portuguese coach said about Cristiano: “If he plays with his club, he will be eligible for a call-up if he wants to return to represent the national team.”
The Portugal national team coach continued, saying about his relationship with Ronaldo, who coached him at the Saudi Al-Nasr Club: “In my opinion, you cannot blame someone in a friendship that lasted an entire year for a situation that is difficult to understand.”
Jesus added about the situation that angered Ronaldo when he warmed up in the first Norway match without the coach giving him the opportunity to participate: “Just because he is him, and perhaps this was the right thing, given that he is a symbol - all this issue was raised regarding warming up and not, and participating in the game or not.”
He added: "How many players warmed up today and did not participate in the match? How many are there? Will there be a problem with any of them? No, so it caused all this fuss because he (Ronaldo) is a symbol, right?"
The Portuguese coach continued, saying in response to another question about his crisis with Cristiano: “I am the coach. I call up whomever I want... and I do not ask anyone about who I want to call up, and I do not ask anyone about who will play. For me as a coach, there are some principles that are not open to discussion,” emphasizing the importance of the coach’s authority and independence in the decision to call or field any player.
Jesus added, saying: “Before the last call-up, I told him (Ronaldo) that I want him by my side if he plays first, he plays, and now I tell him the same thing.”
The Portuguese coach denied that he had apologized to Ronaldo for not participating in the Norway match, describing the media reports about that as “false,” and asked: “What was the matter that deserved an apology?”
A crisis broke out between Ronaldo and his coach after the match between Portugal and Norway, when Cristiano warmed up but did not participate in that confrontation.
The crisis reached its peak when Ronaldo decided to leave his country's national team camp after a press conference held by Jesus prior to the Portuguese national team's match against Denmark, in which he defended his decision not to bring Ronaldo onto the field, stressing that he was "acting according to the circumstances of the match."
Ronaldo failed to participate despite the warm-up, and after leaving the Portugal camp, he sent a message to the fans on his social media page in which he confirmed his departure from his country’s national team camp after the coach’s press conference and indicated that he would reveal “the whole truth” at the appropriate time.
