Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) after he walked out on the national team amid a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus.
The FPF referred Ronaldo's case to its Disciplinary Investigation Committee, which opened proceedings against the 41-year-old on Friday, Oct. 9. While the investigation is ongoing, Ronaldo will remain suspended.
Ronaldo walked away from his national team amid a spat with Jesus, departing Copenhagen on Wednesday, Sept. 30, one day before a UEFA Nations League match against Denmark.
At issue was Ronaldo's usage in Portugal's previous game against Norway. According to a lengthy statement the star forward released this week, an assistant coach told Ronaldo he would play around
30 minutes in the match. But after warming up, Ronaldo did not play as Portugal ultimately won 2-1.
An angry Ronaldo did not acknowledge the traveling fans in Oslo after the final whistle, instead walking down the tunnel.
Ronaldo apologized to fans for his actions in Oslo and also apologized to his teammates for leaving midway through the recent international window.
But he insisted he did so because Jesus broke his word twice – first by not playing him in Oslo and then by refusing to stick to a supposedly pre-approved script at a press conference prior to the game against Denmark.
"Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, by decision of the Non-Professional Section on Oct. 9, 2026, for the purpose of determining the potential disciplinary relevance of the facts reported on Oct. 7, 2026," a FPF statement said on Saturday, Oct. 10.
"Without prejudice to the automatic provisional suspension to which he was subject until the proceedings were opened, a non-automatic provisional suspension of the player was ordered, and the proceedings were classified as urgent.
"The case was sent on Oct. 10, 2026, to the FPF Disciplinary Investigation Committee, with public disclosure excluded until the conclusion of the investigation."
Ronaldo said in his statement that he was expecting a punishment, and would accept whatever discipline was coming his way.
He added: "The consequences of my actions must be evaluated and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation.
"I believe the punishment should not be mitigated. I am not just any player; I am the team captain, and that constitutes an aggravating factor. I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cristiano Ronaldo suspended as Portugal opens disciplinary proceedings
