The Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo while opening urgent disciplinary proceedings following his national team walkout.
The Portuguese Football Federation has provisionally suspended Cristiano Ronaldo after opening disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old forward, Yahoo Sports reported. The national federation announced that its Non-Professional Section reached the decision on Oct. 9, 2026, and classified the case as urgent.
The action follows the team captain’s departure from Portugal’s international camp during the recent Nations League window. Ronaldo previously left the squad following an argument with manager Jorge Jesus over playing time, after which Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen.
The federation rules and potential punishment
Ronaldo remains suspended while the governing body determines a final ruling, Yahoo Sports noted. Under the federation’s rules, any player who leaves national team duty, misses a training session or skips a match can receive a suspension between one and six months along with a financial fine, according to Yahoo Sports.
Pedro Proenca, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, told Portuguese outlet Record that the governing body will follow standard protocol while seeking a resolution. “This is a time for calm and composure. We are all sitting down together at the table,” Proenca said, adding that there is still a strong desire to see Ronaldo return.
Ronaldo stated on social media that he expects to face penalties and said the federation should not grant him leniency, pointing out that serving as captain makes his decision an aggravating factor.
The dispute between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus
The conflict began during a Nations League match against Norway. Ronaldo explained in a detailed public message that he and Jesus had initially planned for him to sit out the fixtures against Norway and Denmark to manage his workload. However, Ronaldo said Jesus informed him on matchday that he would play 30 minutes against Norway.
Ronaldo spent time warming up on the sideline during the second half but never entered the contest. Jesus stated after the final whistle that the match situation, with Portugal leading 2-1, altered his substitution strategy. Disagreeing with the outcome, Ronaldo met with Jesus, but later stated that their private discussion was not accurately represented in the manager’s subsequent press conference.
Before the next match against Denmark, Ronaldo informed the federation of his departure and exited the training camp. In his statement, Ronaldo accused Jesus of an absolute breach of trust and said the coach broke his word twice. Still, he conceded that leaving the team was inappropriate. “I owe my national team teammates an apology for leaving the training camp,” Ronaldo said, Al Jazeera reported.
Ronaldo claimed their discussions included an agreed talking point that Jesus had erred by asking a player of his standing to warm up without playing him. Jesus did not address those claims directly. The 72-year-old manager said he read Ronaldo’s statement and went to work at federation headquarters as usual, having previously noted that Ronaldo could still be selected if he plays for his club and desires a call-up.
What comes next for Portugal and Ronaldo
Despite the suspension, Ronaldo confirmed that he does not plan to retire from international soccer and aims to take part in farewell matches before ending his Portugal career. Ronaldo has scored 146 goals across 234 appearances for Portugal, which stand as men’s world records. He won Euro 2016 and two Nations League crowns with the national side, and competed in his sixth World Cup earlier this year.
Ronaldo has already returned to Saudi Arabia to play for his club, Al-Nassr. He scored the 980th goal of his professional career on Friday during a 3-0 victory against Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League as he attempts to reach 1,000 career goals.
Portugal has already won four Nations League fixtures to secure qualification for the tournament quarter-finals with two group games remaining. The national team will conclude Group A4 play next month, hosting Denmark on Nov. 14 before traveling to play Wales on Nov. 17.
