Portugal suspends Ronaldo and initiates disciplinary proceedings after walkout

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for walking out on the team and initiated disciplinary proceedings.

The case has been referred to its disciplinary investigation committee and its findings will remain confidential until its conclusions are reached, the federation said in a statement Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo left the Portugal camp during the international window in a dispute with new coach Jorge Jesus over his lack of playing time in the Nations League.

In the three games Ronaldo was either an unused substitute or absent, Portugal won, and his replacement Gonçalo Ramos seized his chance by scoring three goals.

Ronaldo was involved only in Portugal’s opening Nations League game, where he was replaced by Ramos in a 1-0 win over Wales. He left the squad after watching the second game from the substitutes’ bench — a 2-1 win in Norway — and Portugal showed no ill effects from his departure with wins over Denmark and Norway to book a quarterfinal.

Ronaldo ended the international break with a long post to his 679 million followers on Instagram, where he asked the Portugal coach to acknowledge a mistake in asking him to warm up on the sidelines in Oslo and then not send him on the field. Jesus did not acknowledge any mistake.

The star wrote that he expected a suspension under federation rules but promised his fans “we will have one or more farewell matches.”

Ronaldo could possibly face a harsh punishment for leaving the training camp. The federation’s disciplinary regulations say that any player who “abandons or fails to appear” without justification at a training session, match or activity of the national teams “shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months,” in addition to a fine.

Ronaldo did tell the federation he was leaving, but it wasn’t clear whether the decision would be considered justified in accordance with the regulations.

“I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences," Ronaldo wrote in his statement. “Anyone in football as I am knows that, regardless of each person’s status, the rules are the same for everyone.”

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